Lakers go down with a fight against Thunder in Game 4

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round Two Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 11, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On the brink of elimination, the Lakers went down swinging.

LA overcame its second-half woes and took OKC all the way to the final minute before losing late, 115-110, as the Thunder completed the sweep.

In the most hotly-contested game of the series, the two teams battled throughout the fourth quarter. The Lakers had the lead late on a Marcus Smart and-one layup, but the Thunder responded with the next five points to win the game.

Deandre Ayton started things offensively for LA with a tip-in layup off a missed shot by LeBron James. Lu Dort and Ajay Mitchell responded with a combined five points immediately after.

Rui Hachimura started cooking for Los Angeles with four points.

At the 6:42 mark, the Lakers were down by six.

The Lakers surged with nine straight points to jump into the lead. Austin Reaves was now the leading scorer for LA with five points. Smart was the only starter who had yet to score.

Los Angeles ended the first well with Reaves and LeBron combining for five points, helping give the team a five-point lead.

For the first time in this series, the Lakers have won the first quarter. They are up 26-21 over the Thunder. Austin Reaves is off to a great start. He has 8 points on perfect shooting.
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) May 12, 2026

Alex Caruso opened the second period with back-to-back evil 3-pointers. Mitchell then converted on a layup, which forced the Lakers to call an early timeout as they saw their lead vanish. Out of the break, Caruso finally missed a triple. Unfortunately, LA was also missing shots.

The Thunder were up by five with 9:50 left.

Oklahoma City’s scoring run extended to 17-0 as Los Angeles tried to score, but couldn’t figure out any consistency with their offense. LeBron stopped some of the bleeding with two free throws.

Jaxson Hayes ended the field goal drought by converting on a layup. The Lakers responded well, making it a four-point game at halftime, despite their shooting struggles.

The Thunder lead the Lakers 49-45. LA went over half the second quarter without a field goal, which is how a five-point advantage has turned into a four-point deficit. The Lakers need a comeback in the second half to extend their season.
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) May 12, 2026

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander converted on a midrange jumper to open the third period. Hachimura had the hot hand early for LA with seven points in the quarter. Mitchell had eight in the quarter already for the Thunder.

Cason Wallace drilled a triple that forced Los Angeles to call a timeout after yet another OKC run had the Lakers down 12.

Reaves now had six of LA’s 12 overall turnovers. Out of the break, LeBron converted on one of two free throws. Hachimura also knocked down a big-time 3-pointer.

SGA was the only OKC player scoring; he was up to 23 for the night. LeBron drained two massive 3-pointers that helped keep Los Angeles within striking distance.

The purple and gold were down by five with 4:04 left in the quarter.

LA went on a massive 14-5 run that turned the game in their favor. They added to that run to take the lead by one with 3:08 left.

Both teams then took turns leading. Hayes’ four points at the end of the third helped give Los Angeles a lead of four going into the fourth.

This was the first time in the series that they beat OKC in the third.

Jaxson Hayes has provided a huge lift off the bench, with 16 points now on 5 of 6 FG's and 6 of 6 FT's.

His put-back with 0.6 to play in the 3rd Q gave the Lakers an 84-80 lead.

It's a 16-point turnaround from OKC's 66-54 lead at the 7:35 mark of the 3rd (a 30-14 push).
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 12, 2026

LeBron split a pair of free throws to open the scoring in the final frame. Jared McCain converted on a layup on the other end for Oklahoma City. Despite two from Mitchell, LeBron scored four points, helping keep LA in the lead by five.

Out of a break, McC ain drained a triple.

Reaves launched a ridiculous 3-pointer over Caruso that kept Los Angeles up by five. SGA nailed two free throws that cut into the deficit for the Thunder. McCain knocked down yet another three that tied the game with 6:34 left.

OKC went up by three after Mitchell completed a three-point play. Hachimura responded with his signature midrange shot on the other end. A back-and-forth battle was taking place over the final five minutes.

The teams took turns leading by one until a triple from SGA put the Thunder up four with 3:47 left. At the 2:13 mark, Oklahoma City was up by six. With 1:41 left, Hachimura completed a wild four-point play to make it a two-point game.

Smart was then fouled and completed a three-point play that put the Lakers up by one with 40 seconds left, capping off a 7-0 run. Chet Holmgren dunked on the next possession and put Oklahoma City up one with 32.8 seconds left.

LeBron missed a floater with roughly 20 seconds left and, on the other end, SGA was fouled and converted on both free throws, giving the Thunder a three-point lead with 12.2 seconds left.

Reaves had a nice look at a 3-pointer and unfortunately missed. With 7.6 seconds left, Mitchell was fouled and converted on both free throws, sealing the win for OKC.
Key Player Stats
LeBron finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Reaves added 27 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Hayes had 18 points off the bench.

Hachimura scored 25  points on 9-15 shooting. Ayton logged six points. Kennard pitched in with five points.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.


Labour must offer more than ‘better managed decline’ on economy, MPs urge

Soft-left Tribune group issues thinly disguised attack on Keir Starmer, calling for bold policy renewal

Business live – latest updates

UK politics live – latest updates

An influential group of MPs has said that Labour needs an urgent renewal of economic strategy to offer voters “more than better management of decline” before the next general election.

With Keir Starmer fighting to ward off a leadership challenge, the leading backbenchers from the soft-left Tribune group published a series of essays calling for bolder action to salvage its remaining time in power.
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Latest news, breaking news and current affairs coverage from across the UK from theguardian.com


Five former Carillion executives banned by accountancy regulator

Richard Adam, Zafar Khan and three others are also fined by Financial Reporting Council

Business live – latest updates

Five former executives at the collapsed government contractor Carillion have been bannedby the UK’s accountancy regulator, effectively ending the career of its former finance chief, after they “acted recklessly”.

Before Carillion collapsed into compulsory liquidation in January 2018 – one of the biggest corporate failures in UK history – it was a large multinational construction and facilities management services company and employed 43,000 people around the world.
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Man charged with arson over alleged attack on ex-synagogue in east London

Moses Edwards, 45, from Wanstead, to appear in court in connection with incident in Whitechapel last week

A 45-year-old man has been charged with arson with intent to endanger life after reports of a fire at a former synagogue in east London.

Moses Edwards, from Wanstead, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday after the alleged arson attack on the building in Nelson Street, Whitechapel, on 5 May.
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Lorry gets stuck in hole it was sent to fix in Somerset

Lorry left at near 45-degree angle after ground gave way on road near Walton

A lorry has become stuck in a sinkhole after being sent to fix it.

Contractors from a company called Stabilised Pavements were sent to fix the sinkhole near Walton, in Somerset, when the ground gave way, the Times reported.
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‘There’s too much risk’: Britons on changing holiday plans amid Iran war

Prospect of flight cancellations and petrol shortages prompt people to switch from air and road to rail and bus

The Middle East crisis, now in its 11th week, has resulted in higher fuel prices for drivers and prompted fears of jet fuel shortages, rising air fares and cancelled flights.

Given the uncertain outlook, prospect of higher travel costs and potential disruption, we asked whether people had changed their holiday plans.
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Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice


Starmer’s on the brink and who knows what will happen next: hope for the best Britain, and prep for the worst | Frances Ryan

As senior cabinet ministers move against the PM, his words of defiance seem moot. I’m planning ahead – which is more than he ever did

A news report last week described how growing instability means millions of Britons are building up a stash of cash, tinned food and torches at home. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought there is no better litmus test of how things are going for a country than whether the populace is stockpiling emergency rations.

Watching Keir Starmer stubbornly cling on to his leadership as members of his cabinet and MPs move against him, it seems only a matter of time before the PM himself is prepping. With the end moving closer, you half expect Starmer to barricade himself in Downing Street with a jumbo pack of baked beans and a carton of cigarettes.

 “I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I’ve got some doubters,” Starmer told reporters on Monday after what could be his 73rd major speech to “reset” his premiership in less than two years.

 “Some” doubters. That seems a generous summary of events at this point. At time of writing, those doubting Starmer include his former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, home secretary Shabana Mahmood, four resigned ministerial aides, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, union bosses, peers, and what increasingly feels like most of the backbenchers who have access to an X account.

Francs Ryan is a Guardian columnist
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Internal displacements caused by violence or conflict at record high in 2025

The 32.3m surpasses those caused by disasters for the first time, as 82.2m people displaced in total around world

The number of internal displacements triggered by conflict or violence around the world reached a record high in 2025, surpassing the number of disaster-driven internal displacements for the first time.

A report published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) shows that by the end of 2025 there were 32.3m conflict-driven internal displacements. That is 60% higher than those recorded the previous year, and – for the first time since data collection began in 2008 – above displacements driven by natural disasters, which reached 29.9m in 2025.
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Richard Adam, Zafar Khan and three others are also fined by Financial Reporting Council

Business live – latest updates

Five former executives at the collapsed government contractor Carillion have been banned by the UK’s accountancy regulator, effectively ending the career of its former finance chief, after they “acted recklessly”.

Before Carillion collapsed into compulsory liquidation in January 2018 – one of the biggest corporate failures in UK history – it was a large multinational construction and facilities management services company and employed 43,000 people around the world.
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Ciao UFO review – Hong Kong tear-jerker is less ET than time-hopping chronicle of housing estate kids

In 1985, four working-class characters are bonded for ever by a strange sighting in this sentimental saga that tracks their lives into adulthood

Directed by Patrick Leung, this affecting saga from Hong Kong is a bit tricksy to get to grips with because it keeps hopping back and forth between an assortment of time frames. It tracks a set of characters as children in the mid-1980s, played by one group of young actors, and then later in the 1990s and early 00s when an adult cast takes over. But as it spirals in towards its surprising and dramatic conclusion, everything falls into place and the last 10 minutes is properly tear-jerking – even if it’s unabashedly sentimental, like a classic melodrama.

The key incident foretold in the title happens around halfway through, although it’s no spoiler to know it’s coming. In 1985, a quartet of kids growing up on a working-class Hong Kong housing estate – boys Kin (Matthew Wong Cheuk-yin) and Heem (Chui Ka-him), and girl Hoyi (Lam Seung-yu) and her kid brother (Shawn Heung Sung-yu), for ever called Little Brother – see a UFO in the sky one night. The experience bonds them for ever, even if each kid grows up to pursue goals one wouldn’t expect based on what they’re like as tots. Sailor’s son Kin (played by Chui Tien-you as an adult) pursues wealth in the stock market as it booms in the aftermath of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, itself an understandably big deal in the story. Heem (a very engaging Wong You-nam) had leukaemia as a child, and lives constantly in the short term under the shadow of illness. Hoyi, who everyone describes as a pudgy little girl, grows up to be a slim-hipped beauty (Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin) – this is considered a great achievement along with becoming an accountant and planning to marry a dullard named Austin (Joey Cho Yiu Leung) who has his life all planned out.
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High and Low by Amanda Craig review – will Britain boil over?

A north London cafe is under siege in a state-of-the-nation satire that brings together the haves and have-nots

Britain, muses trainee barrister Xan, was getting “hotter, crueller and angrier”. Amanda Craig’s 10th novel watches as it boils over. Her setting is Prospect Park, a fictional north London suburb caught between gentrification and decline, on the 12th day of Christmas. Outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, protesters and counter-protesters have gathered. In a flat nearby, a man has been stabbed, and thugs go from shop to shop, searching for the teenage boy they think did it.

Locals look on anxiously. Jade from the beauty parlour and Daisy from the health food shop brave the central street to warn others of trouble. In the kebab shop, Mehmet locks up his doner meat and sharpens his knives. Places with shutters close them.
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'I don't know.' LeBron James unsure if he'll return for 24th season or retire

LeBron James stands on the court during the Lakers' 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals Monday at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
As LeBron James sat at the podium following the Lakers’ season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday night, he was asked about his future.

He had just completed his 23rd season in the NBA at 41 years old and he will become a free agent this summer.

James has been asked about retirement all season — and if he would return to the Lakers next season or play for another team.

So after finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds in the 115-110 loss, James addressed the situation again.

“With my future, I don't know, honestly," James said. "It's still fresh from obviously losing. And I don't know. I don't know what the future holds for me, obviously. As it stands right now, tonight, I got a lot of time. I'll sit back, like I think I said last year after we lost, I think to Minnesota, to go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them, and spend some time with them. And then when the time comes, then obviously you guys will know what I've decided to do.”

Read more:Plaschke: For the sake of their future, Lakers should bid farewell to LeBron James

James said he’ll talk to his wife, Savannah, his daughter, Zhuri, and his son, Bryce.

James was asked what his decision process will be like.

“I don't know,” he said. “If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena five-and-a-half hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play. Showing up to practices, 11 o'clock practice, I'm there at eight o'clock preparing my body, preparing my mind, preparing to practice, to put the work in.

“So I think for me, I've always been in love with the process and not the aftermath of, OK, we won that game, or we won a championship. I've always enjoyed the process and not the outcome. So, I think that would be a big factor."
LeBron James, center, celebrates with his Lakers teammates after defeating the Miami Heat for the NBA title on Oct. 11, 2020. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
James has been with the Lakers for eight seasons. He helped the team win an NBA championship in 2020 in the COVID-19 bubble in Orlando, Fla.

James was asked what has stood out during his time with the Lakers.

"Obviously winning a championship in 2020 would stand at the top," James said. "That was the reason why I came here, to restore that level of play and restore this franchise back to what it was known for, winning championships and playing at a high level. ... So that would be at the top.”

After the loss to the Thunder, James shook hands with All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso, Lou Dort before walking off the court.

James was asked if those were the last handshakes of his career.

"Last handshakes? No, I don't know. 'Cause I don't, I have no idea,” James said. "None of us even know what the future holds. None of us."

The Lakers know that they could have eight unrestricted free agents in their immediate future.

Read more:Lakers fight to the finish but are eliminated by Thunder

After James, the next biggest potential free agent is Austin Reaves. He is expected to opt out of his deal that will pay him $14.8 million and become a free agent, according to people familiar with the situation not authorized to comment. The Lakers can pay Reaves a maximum deal of $241 million over five years, with a starting salary of about $41.5 million next season.

The Lakers value Reaves and are expected to meet his demands. Reaves could sign with another team that has salary-cap space, but that deal would be for four years and about $178 million.

“I take life day by day and I'm just blessed to have an opportunity to play for this organization, play a kid's game,” Reaves said. “I make good money. But like I said, don’t think about what I’m really going to do in the future. Just day by day.”

Center Deandre Ayton had an inconsistent season, averaging 12.5 points on 67.1% shooting and 8.0 rebounds. He can opt out of his deal that pays him $8.1 million next season and become a free agent. But Ayton hasn’t yet made a decision, according to people familiar with the situation not authorized to comment.
Lakers star Austin Reaves celebrates after shooting a three-pointer against the Thunder on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Marcus Smart, a locker room leader and their best defensive player, also has a player option for next season at $5.3 million. He hasn't made a decision yet on whether he'll test the free-agent market. According to several NBA executives, a few teams probably will show interest in him.

The deadline to exercise or decline an option is June 29.

Rui Hachimura’s ($18.2 million), Luke Kennard ($11 million), Maxi Kleber ($11 million) and Jaxson Hayes ($3.4 million) are also in the final year of their deals.

Doncic, who missed the playoffs and the last five games of the regular season with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, signed a three-year, $165-million extension last summer, keeping him under contract through the 2027-28 season.

Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million), Jake LaRavia ($6.0 million), Dalton Knecht (4.2 million), Bronny James ($2.2 million) and rookie Adou Thiero ($2.1 million) are under contract for next season.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Comprehensive National Basketball Association news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors...


NBA combine measurements for potential Utah Jazz draft targets

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 11: NBA draft prospect, Darryn Peterson poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 11, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After an incredible NBA lottery, the Utah Jazz are sitting pretty at the #2 spot in the NBA Draft. That means they will have a chance to choose from the top tier of the draft with their pick. The NBA Combine is now happening, and it officially kicks off draft season. The measurements become vital for teams at the top of the draft and can help shape the most important decision each team will make. Here are the measurements of the main prospects the Utah Jazz will be looking at. Oh, and just a reminder, the height is measured without shoes. But since basketball is played with shoes on, you typically want to have an inch or so added when you’re thinking about the different prospects.
AJ Dybantsa
Height: 6’8.5”

Weight: 217

Wingspan: 7’0.75”

Standing Reach: 8’8”

Dybantsa comes out with solid numbers that confirm great size with his 6’8.5” height minus shoes. His wingspan is really good at the +4 differential. That said, this doesn’t raise any real red flags or give teams interested in the potential #1 pick any reason to question taking him. Dybantsa brings the measurements of a prototypical wing creator that teams dream of building their team around.
Darryn Peterson
Height: 6’4.5”

Weight: 199

Wingspan: 6’9.75”

Standing Reach: 8’7”

Peterson’s measurements are also unsurprising and great for a shooting guard. With shoes, Peterson will be about 6’6” and also brings a fantastic wingspan ratio at +5. The biggest question for Peterson will come from his medicals. If Peterson checks out clean, he makes a big case for the #1 pick in this draft. Dybantsa gets an edge on Peterson with his size, which gives him a fantastic ceiling, but Peterson should get the edge in pure skill. His scoring ability is the best in the draft, and we’ll see if the Washington Wizards make a surprise pick come draft night.
Cam Boozer
Height: 6’8.25”

Weight: 253

Wingspan: 7’1.5”

Standing Reach: 9’.0”

Boozer ends up with height just a hair shorter than AJ Dybantsa, but he brings a slightly longer wingspan and standing reach, which is great. Boozer combines a high level of skill and IQ that comes with fantastic functional strength. Boozer comes into the draft with one of the highest floors but could also be considered to have the lowest ceiling among the top prospects. The question for Boozer will be whether he can be the hub of an NBA offense or more of an off-ball player. It will be fascinating to see just how effective he can be. His production in college was fantastic, but does that translate to the NBA, or was he more of a bruiser that overpowered inferior college talent?
Caleb Wilson
Height: 6’9.25”

Weight: 211

Wingspan: 7’0.25”

Standing Reach: 9’0”

The numbers for Wilson are a little disappointing and could put him at #4 to Chicago if the Grizzlies are torn between Wilson and Boozer. He’s surprisingly light at 211, and I expected a longer wingspan than just 7’0.25”. What this does is lock Wilson into the 3/4 mold, although that’s not a change for teams that have followed him closely. Wilson does have fantastic athleticism, which could potentially help him go higher.


3 takeaways from Lakers Game 4 loss vs. Thunder

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a slam dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With their season on the line, the Lakers played with the necessary desperation to try to extend it one more game.

Even after it looked like the third quarter was headed down a familiar path, LA righted the ship and actually won that quarter. The result was a fourth quarter worthy of a playoff game with back-and-forth momentum swings and huge shots from either side.

But even with all that extra fight, the end result was the same, with the Thunder making more plays and coming away victorious to sweep LA out of the playoffs.

It’s a tough ending to the series, considering how hard the Lakers fought throughout. But it’s also a just ending as the Thunder were clearly the better team in the series.

With that being said, let’s dive into the three takeaways from the loss…
Going out on their sword
There were two ways this game could have played out.

The Lakers could have looked like the Sixers on Sunday as they lay down and let the Knicks batter them at home in an embarrassing loss or they could put up the fight they did. It’s apropos that they went down fighting given it’s the trait this team has had all season.

So many times this season, the Lakers were dealt a challenge — often in the way of an untimely injury to a star — and were forced to adapt and keep fighting. The postseason was no different. The final scores often didn’t show how close the purple and gold were to the Thunder this series.

But Monday’s Game 4 will not be forgotten because of a humiliating blowout, but instead will be remembered as a team going out on its sword.
Rui and Austin step up
The Lakers were going to need big contributions from multiple players if they were going to finally nab a win in this series and both Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura did all they could to make that possible.

Austin’s night was a mixed bag at times. He did turn the ball over eight times. But given the ask of him and the focus the defense had on him, it was his best game of the series. He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists and carried the Lakers’ offense throughout the night. If nothing else, playing 43 minutes in a game of this intensity so soon after returning from injury was impressive.

Rui’s night, meanwhile, was not mixed at all. In a postseason where he already was turning heads, Rui had the game of his life, finishing with 25 points on 9-15 shooting from the field. But, as has been the case, it was his 3-point shooting that was most important, none bigger than his late four-point play with 1:41 left that trimmed a six-point deficit down to just two.

RUI 4-POINT PLAY!

LAKERS LEAD BY 1 WITH 40.9 TO PLAY IN GAME 4 ON PRIME 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Ez4FyhVTPB
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2026

Both players are set for free agency. Both earned big paydays with their play either this season and in the playoffs. And, hopefully, both are Lakers again next season.
The crowd did their part
I was critical of the Lakers crowd earlier these playoffs when it felt like they didn’t do their part in a closeout game. And if there was ever a reason for them not to bring the energy, it was on a night when the team was on the brink of being swept.

Instead, it was the best crowd of the postseason for the Lakers. Is it a coincidence that multiple Twitter/X accounts pointed out how cheap the tickets were, meaning actual fans of the team could afford to attend? Probably not!

Whatever the reason or rationale, the crowd was as lively as they’ve been and played a huge role in spurring the team on to its most impressive performance of the series.

Hats off to them.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.


Eddie Murphy, Sean Penn, and Leonardo DiCaprio attend Thunder vs. Lakers Game 4 in what could be LeBron James last game

The stars came out to Crypto.com Arena on Monday night to watch the Lakers fight to keep their season alive against the Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Entering the game, OKC led the series 3-0 and a Lakers loss would not only end their season, it might also be the final time we see LeBron James in a Lakers’ uniform or any other uniform for that matter.

Those takes alone were enough to bring out Hollywood royalty for one last game.

Leonardo DiCaprio arrived quietly, dressed nearly identical to how he did in Game 3. He took his seat next to his “One Battle After Another” co-star Sean Penn and friend and fellow actor Kevin Connolly.
(L-R) Actors Kevin Connolly, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn attend Game Four between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) Getty Images
A few seats away sat Eddie Murphy, dressed in all black with his shades on.

Eddie Murphy in the house pic.twitter.com/l0MM9BYNbO
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 12, 2026

TV personality Shannon Sharpe was nearby, as was “Top Gun 2” star Miles Teller.

Miles Teller catching Game 4 between the Thunder and Lakers pic.twitter.com/SgWIJHGyjC
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 12, 2026

Bu the celebrity row didn’t stop there.

Jessica Alba smiled and waved to nearby fans. Gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn, Tinashe, Andy Garcia, Usher, and rapper 21 Moneybagg Yo all enjoyed the courtside view as well.
Getty ImagesGetty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesGetty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesNBAE via Getty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty Images
The sons of famous actors Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington were also in attendance, with Ray Nicholson and John David Washington sitting in their famous fathers’ courtside seats.

And because no major Lakers playoff game is complete without basketball royalty as well, Dwyane Wade, Robert Horry, and Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks, a villain among fans, were also in attendance.

Dillon Brooks got a seat right under the basket for Game 4 of Lakers-Thunder pic.twitter.com/9bvf8F7Naf
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 12, 2026

Here’s the rest of the list of stars spotted at the game: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Adam Corolla, Jay Mohr, Dyan Cannon, Lukas Haas, James Goldstein, Lou Adler, Corey Gamble, and more.

In most cities, playoff basketball is just a game.

In Los Angeles, it’s theater.
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Minister resigns from Starmer government with call for PM to quit

Communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh is first minister to leave government after heavy election losses

UK politics live – latest updates

Miatta Fahnbulleh has become the first minister to resign from Keir Starmer’s government, calling on the prime minister to quit.

The communities minister’s resignation came as one of Starmer’s closest aides declined to say whether he would lead Labour into the next election amid mounting calls for him to resign.
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Three-day ceasefire ends with fresh wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine – Europe live

At least one person killed as Moscow launches drone strikes on energy facilities and apartments

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is currently giving a briefing alongside the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez on the current situation on hantavirus, following the evacuation of the MV Hondius cruise ship over the weekend.

The key lines appears to be that Tedros conceded that the WHO is expecting more cases to emerge given the prolonged incubation period of six to eight weeks.

“We would expect more cases, because, as you may remember, the index case, the first case in the ship, was on 6 April, and until … the report was confirmed as infectious – that’s around 24 April or 25 – there was a lot of interaction [between] the passengers.

As you know, the incubation period is also six to eight weeks. Because of the interaction while they were still on the ship, especially before they started taking some infectious prevention measures, … we would expect more cases.”

“But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”
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Chaos in Philippines as Duterte ally wanted by ICC takes refuge in senate to avoid arrest

Former police chief Ronald dela Rosa spends night at senate office after another Duterte ally offers protective custody

The unusual pursuit was captured on CCTV cameras inside the Philippine senate. Ronald dela Rosa, a longtime ally of the former president Rodrigo Duterte, raced along the hallways of the upper house complex, stumbling on the staircase, as he fled government agents.

“They want to forcibly bring me to The Hague, to surrender me there,” Dela Rosa said later on a Facebook livestream, pleading for public support.
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Soft-left Tribune group issues thinly disguised attack on Keir Starmer, calling for bold policy renewal

Business live – latest updates

UK politics live – latest updates

An influential group of MPs has said that Labour needs an urgent renewal of economic strategy to offer voters “more than better management of decline” before the next general election.

With Keir Starmer fighting to ward off a leadership challenge, the leading backbenchers from the soft-left Tribune group published a series of essays calling for bolder action to salvage its remaining time in power.
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UK borrowing costs hit highest since 1998 amid Starmer uncertainty

Bond yields soar and pound falls against dollar as investors brace for potential Labour leadership change

Business live – latest updates

UK politics live – latest updates

Long-term UK borrowing costs have soared to the highest level in nearly three decades while the pound and stocks fell as investors braced for a potential change of leadership, with cabinet ministers urging Keir Starmer to quit.

Starmer was consulting colleagues before a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning after ministerial aides quit and more than 70 MPs publicly called for him to go.
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Cavs playoff fate to determine interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 17: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on November 17, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As if the stress of a playoff series was not enough, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office is bracing for potential changes if things go south over the next few games. One of those changes may involve the highest-profile player in the rumor mill, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks (whose owner is Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslem) are listening to offers for Antetokounmpo with just six weeks from the NBA Draft. The Bucks will have numerous offers made for Antetokounmpo’s services, with several of those coming from teams that had interest in him at the previous trade deadline. The Cavs are one of those teams, based on Charania’s report.

The caveat to this is that offers from those teams will likely hinge on playoff performance. Charania says the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Cavs represent the teams that had called about Antetokounmpo a few months ago and would be prepared to do so again this summer. ESPN reported last October that Antetokounmpo desired to play for the Knicks, but that appeared to fizzle.

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Milwaukee is reportedly seeking a young blue-chip prospect and/or multiple draft picks, something that only a handful of those aforementioned teams can do. For example, the Lakers would have to get creative with their picks and salary to outdo the Knicks and Cavs, who both have the assets to meet what the Bucks want. New York can send almost anything but Jalen Brunson, while the Cavs could dangle Evan Mobley and draft picks and swaps.

Then the question becomes if the Cavs should push every last chip into the middle to try and win a championship. Moving on from Mobley is the most all-in the Cavs could get, even after sending out Darius Garland last year for a player a decade older — but more ready to win immediately. That gets magnified even more when the Cavs would also likely have to include two first-round picks and at least one pick swap. Suddenly, things are not only win-now, but the Cavs are mortgaging the future too.

Unless the Cavs are constructing something bigger — say, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell with Antetokounmpo and LeBron James for his farewell tour — the front office is taking on a huge risk by potentially trading Mobley and the rest of their picks into the 2030s. That will make a lot of fans uneasy to see the Cavs swing so hard for the fence, but another early playoff exit that doesn’t yield a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals may be the final straw of failure. If the Cavs lose to a team led by their former head coach (and scapegoat) J.B Bickerstaff, someone they fired for being unable to get over the hump, it may be enough to send owner Dan Gilbert into a frenzy to fix the most expensive mess in the league.

Now things can’t, and won’t, be all bad if the Cavs acquire Antetokounmpo and add him to a core of Mitchell and Harden (never mind James, who is a big if). In fact, it would likely make the Cavs the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo, who is still one of the three best players in the league, would have a dynamic scoring backcourt to rely on, and his front-court mate in Jarrett Allen, who would make the paint uninhabitable on defense. The Cavs would be a force on both sides of the ball and one of the most-watched teams in the league. Of course, they would also be a league villain — especially if James dons the wine and gold one last time.


LeBron James' uncertain future becomes Lakers' biggest offseason question: 'We’re not good enough right now'

LOS ANGELES —Three minutes into a sudden second quarter Thunder storm, as the Lakers gathered around each other in hopes of solving a growing problem, LeBron James plopped into a seat a few slots down from the group.

The uneasiness and nervousness that had enveloped the building in the moments leading up to tipoff — despite a brief shift toward excitement and belief in extending a series — were back once again. From a micro lens, the bulk of apprehension centered around avoiding a sweep but the potential outcome of the game — and to a larger extent, James’ future — provided an eerie backdrop on a clear spring night.

Eight years ago, James walked out the same tunnel onto the floor for his Lakers home debut, offering a flurry of fistbumps, high-fives and handshakes to eager onlookers. That evening, hope was on the cards, for a better future, together — despite being overtaken by a massive brawl that ended in ejections and suspensions. On Monday night, with the 41-year-old staring a second-round sweep in the face, the first of his storied career, a different fight ensued. The fight to win a game. The fight for dignity. For ego. For maybe, just maybe, the next chapter of his basketball journey.

“What my future holds, I don’ t know,” James said following the Lakers’ 115-110 loss. “Obviously, we’re still fresh from losing. I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds for me as it stands right now tonight. I got a lot of time, I’ll sit back and recalibrate with my family. Talk with them, spend some time with them and when the time comes, you guys will know.”

The wounds from defeat are likely still too fresh for James and the Lakers to fully process. They certainly were for the thousands of fans in the stands, trapped between emotions so strong that James shook the hands of his opponents and walked off the floor without as much as a smattering of applause, attempting to come to terms with a sweep. They certainly were for James’ teammates as they shared embraces and said their goodbyes in the locker room afterward, some wondering what the next few months will hold for the individuals as well as the collective. And they certainly were for an emotional JJ Redick as he sat on the podium, praising his soldiers for enduring a long, confusing season while acknowledging the great unknown on the horizon.

“I believe in continuity,” Redick said. “But I do think that if you’re trying to win a championship and this organization is, you have to be realistic and assess where you’re at and we’re not good enough right now. There probably will be some continuity and there probably won’t be, but that’s what the next two months are for.”
Los Angeles, CA - May 11:Lakers LeBron James (23) reacts to a Laker turnover during second quarter action  in game 4 of the NBA West semifinals at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, May 11, 2026.   (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images via Getty Images
Regardless of your point of view — whether watching the game remotely, in person or even as a member of the media — nothing suggested that this would be the last time that James took an NBA floor. James spoke at length about the “process” of basketball, detailing a routine that has allowed him to remain at the top of his game for over two decades and shuddered at the mention of him falling out of love with the game. His Game 4 performance — 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and a block — giving everything he had on both ends of the floor didn’t resemble a player that suddenly wants to call it quits. The ability to rest, recover and mentally prepare for a final season on his terms certainly has appeal from an outsider’s perspective.

“I don’t think it’s his last year,” Suns forward Dillon Brooks, who was in attendance, told Yahoo Sports. “I think he got one more in him. I watched him when I was in the NBA, when I was a kid in high school. He’s got a phenomenal career and battled everybody and done it at a high level throughout. It’s been amazing to watch overall, a pleasure to battle against him.”

The real question, the one that will dominate airwaves, water cooler talk and group chats within the basketball world for the next few weeks and months, is whether or not James’ next steps will be with the Lakers. Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton — 60 percent of the Lakers’ playoff starting lineup — all have player options for the 2026-27 season. Los Angeles’ brass will be tasked with presenting a plan for James to still remain a viable contender in an increasingly competitive top layer of the basketball ecosystem. Is such a plan more advantageous — not just to James, but to the organization as well — than a homecoming to Cleveland, landing in New York or finally syncing up with Steph Curry? Should the Lakers be so willing to pony up millions of dollars for James’ services, who will be 42 by year’s end, as opposed to fully committing to a heliocentric system tailored to Luka Dončić’s skill set?

The truth is somewhere in the middle. James, entering his 24th season, is likely a hard sell as a commanding size of a team’s cap space — especially in today's restricted economy — while still retaining value as an elite playmaker, connective tissue, positive rebounder and transition defender, in addition to the marketing/revenue boost his presence dictates.

“I haven’t even thought about that,” Redick said pertaining to James’ future. “We’ll deal with the offseason in the offseason, which is the next two months.”

James’ and Redick’s preference to kick the can down the road is understandable, but any decision will likely involve the deconstruction of the now-completed Western Conference semis. The absence of Dončić increases the difficulty of proper evaluation, but the Lakers’ 109.6 postseason offensive rating with James as a No. 1 option would rank just above the Brooklyn Nets over the course of the regular season and their net rating lines them up with a bottom-ten unit. Consequently, miscalculations on the shooting and scoring prowess of Thunder guards Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, Chet Holmgren’s complete two-way dominance (and Ayton’s gradual erasure) also play a part. Additionally, James’ decline in shooting efficiency — 97th percentile in shot usage, 46th in true shooting percentage — and a game plan gone awry (surrounding James with floor spacers yet finishing the postseason ranked 18th out of 20 in 3-point rate) must be addressed as well.

Before every Laker game, the jumbotron shows a montage of the franchise’s most iconic moments — with cameos from Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, the late Kobe Bryant and others. James’ accomplishments over eight seasons, the most he’s spent with any team, are also featured. But the duality of hope, as Los Angeles has come to experience over the last few weeks, is crippling by nature. James’ Lakers legacy, while not as robust as some of the names that have come before him, is still deserving of a fitting end in purple and gold. But what that exactly looks like, and how the greatest player of this generation plans to navigate unforeseen waters, will keep an organization in a holding pattern until clarity takes over.

“S*** I left everything I could out on the floor,” James said. “I control what I can control and I can leave the floor saying even though I hate losing, I was locked in on what we needed to do. I tried to make sure that our guys were locked in throughout the postseason. We fell a little short but I’m not looking at my year as a disappointment, that’s for damn sure.”


Game Five Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 10: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket past Jaden McDaniels #3 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Target Center on May 10, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs did what they needed to do in Minnesota. The Spurs reclaimed home-court advantage with a win in Game Three. After losing a winnable Game Four, 114-109, the Spurs will head back to San Antonio to defend their home court and re-take a series lead.

Game Five will be one of intrigue for several reasons. Chief among them is the return of Victor Wembanyama, who was ejected from Game Four after earning a Flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Naz Reid in the neck. Wembanyama avoided d a fine and a suspension, which has drawn some ire from national media talking heads. Now, an already physical series will be played under a microscope, with both teams motivated to beat up on each other, and the officials watching even more closely for extracurricular contact.

What this game and series will ultimately come down to is the performance of each team’s star player. Anthony Edwards has been nothing short of incredible playing on two bum knees, but still scoring 36 points in Game Four. Wembanyama dominated Games Two and Three, and will certainly be looking to bounce back from a regrettable moment in Game Five. Whichever one can out-duel the other may leave San Antonio with a 3-2 advantage.
San Antonio Spurs (2-2) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)May 12th, 2026 | 7:00 PM CTWatch: NBC / Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (ankle)

Timberwolves Injuries: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles)

What to watch for:
Physicality and foul calls
Despite what most people would say online, the winner of a basketball game is not determined by the referees. That said, they will have a crucial role to play in Game Five. Both sides will come after each other physically, and both will complain when they don’t get the foul calls they think they deserve. Wembanyama’s elbow has escalated the stakes of the physical play in this series. Both teams have been enforcing their will on the other. Whether it be the Spurs’ aggressive point-of-attack defense and tough drives to the rim, or the Wolves’ swarming help defense and dominance on the offensive glass. Whatever team can play physical enough without getting into foul trouble will have a distinct advantage.
Securing the boards
In Game Four, the Spurs allowed the Wolves to grab 15 offensive rebounds for the second game in a row. Granted, they didn’t have their best rebounder in Wembanyama for three-quarters of the game. A lot of the rebounds they are giving up would be out of Wembanyama’s control anyway. Minnesota is grabbing long rebounds off misses or scooping up 50/50 balls while the Spurs are busy blocking out bigger rebounders like Rudy Gobert. San Antonio has to negate the Wolves’ advantage on the glass to reclaim a lead in this series.
Three-point shooting
San Antonio has struggled to shoot from three in both of their losses this series. In Game One, they shot 28% from deep, and they hit just 23% of their deep shots in Game Four. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie have to knock down every wide-open three-pointer they have. If not, they are handing over free possessions to Minnesota. De’Aaron Fox’s shooting has gone cold for most of the series. His offense is of the utmost importance heading into the final games of the series. Fox is questionable for Game Five after sustaining an ankle injury in Game Four. The Spurs will need him and the rest of their shooters to warm up to take down the Wolves at home.


Ex-NBA player Desmond Mason arrested on felony theft warrant

Ex-NBA player Desmond Mason was arrested in Oklahoma City on a felony warrant out of Texas late last week.

Police in Oklahoma City arrested Mason on Thursday on a felony warrant for theft of property that stemmed from an incident that started back in spring 2025, according to multiple reports.
Former Thunder player Desmond Mason arrested on theft warrant Oklahoma County Jail
Oklahoma City police arrested Mason in a downtown section of OKC known as Bricktown and he was taken to the Oklahoma County Detention Center, but before he was booked, he was transported to a local hospital to treat a medical issue, News9 in Oklahoma City reported.

Mason was booked and listed as a flight risk.
Desmond Mason of the Seattle Sonics drives to the basket in the Sprite Rising Stars
Slam Dunk Contest during the 52nd NBA All-Star Weekend at the Phillips Arena on
Feb. 8, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. NBAE via Getty Images
A couple from Collin County, Texas, filed a police report in January with the Melissa Police Department after they claimed they hired Mason in March 2025 to frame a piece of sports memorabilia, paying the 10-year NBA vet $9,822.86 to do so.

The memorabilia and authentication documents were valued at roughly $40,000.

Mason allegedly sent the couple proof he completed the job in April of that year and was going to deliver the finished product, but then cut off communication with them.

By January of this year, Mason was said to have begun re-engaging with the couple, trying to explain the delay.

The warrant for Mason’s arrest was issued in February.
Desmond Mason is pictured during a December 2008 game. NBAE via Getty Images
This is not the first time Mason has ended up in jail, having been thrown behind bars for contempt of court stemming from his divorce proceedings with his ex-wife Andrea Mason.

Mason spent 10 years in the NBA after he was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2000 and became the first player in franchise history to win the NBA dunk contest during the 2000-01 season.

He was traded to the Bucks in 2003, where he played until 2005, and was traded again to the New Orleans Hornets.

Mason returned to the Bucks for a second stint ahead of the 2007-08 season and then played the 2008-09 season with the Thunder.

He appeared in just five games for the Kings in 2009 before he was waived in early November of the 2009-10 season.


What is PCOS, what are the symptoms and treatment, and why is it being renamed PMOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome is being relabelled polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome to correct the misconception that it is solely a gynaecological disease that creates ovarian cysts. Here’s what you need to know about the condition

• ‘Unprecedented’ global effort gives new name to polycystic ovary syndrome – and new hope to millions of women
• ‘I still want to scream’: the loneliness and confusion of living with PMOS

With polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) now being rebadged as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), we take a look at the condition and explore why experts have decided it is time for a new name.
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‘Unprecedented’ global effort gives new name to polycystic ovary syndrome – and new hope to millions of women

Decades-long campaign powered by patient perspectives results in switch from PCOS – a name that caused confusion and undue suffering – to PMOS

• What is PCOS, what are the symptoms and treatment, and why is it being renamed PMOS?
• ‘I still want to scream’: the loneliness and confusion of living with PMOS

After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that affects one in eight women – has been renamed.

The hormonal disorder, estimated to impact 170 million women worldwide, will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).
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‘Six lanes of tarmac and vehicles doing 70mph’: can ‘green bridges’ help animals cross the UK’s motorways in safety?

Cockrow Bridge in Surrey will open in the coming weeks to provide wildlife, including lizards and insects, with the ability to move between fragmented habitats

When James Herd moved near to Wisley Common 17 years ago, the heathland nature reserve was teeming with wildlife. “I’d take the dog around the common in spring and summer, and every few hundred metres I’d hear the rustle of a lizard in the undergrowth – and I’d see adders,” he says.

But over the past decade, the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s director of reserves management, who oversees the internationally important habitat, has seen that wildlife become depleted.
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Drake lost the beef and embraced the manosphere. Is it too late for him to win back his audience?

After his Kendrick Lamar feud, Drake alienated female fans. With new album Iceman, he’s aiming for the top of the charts again

Despite his A-list pop star status, there’s been a noticeable scrappiness to Drake’s rollout for his ninth album, Iceman. Last month, the rapper iced out his favorite court-side seats at the Toronto Raptors’ arena, with faux icicles dangling from the chairs. He followed that up with a more brazen stunt: a huge block of ice in downtown Toronto for the public to chip at until it thawed, revealing the album date. In early May, he debuted a quirky episodic series on YouTube featuring skits in an ice manufacturing plant and the rapper driving an Iceman-branded truck around Toronto. The mood seemed cheeky and defiant: good news for anyone who missed the memester of his 2016 viral hit Hotline Bling.

It has been an eventful and complicated time for Drake since his most recent solo studio album, 2023’s For All the Dogs. While he is still the highest streamed rapper artist in the world, he has been attacked by hip-hop. Two years ago, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and Drake engaged in a battle that no one came out of unscathed. There were accusations of intimate partner violence towards Lamar, a song about a possible daughter that Drake has hid, and Lamar’s Grammy-winning death blow – Not Like Us – about Drake being a hip-hop “colonizer” who chases after young women. Consensus has said that he lost the beef between him and Lamar, and the consensus is right, but the backlash against Drake was already starting to formulate before Lamar issued the first warning shot in 2024 diss track Like That.
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The Bahamas goes to polls in three-way battle with immigration a key issue

Rising cost of living such as high gas prices also a concern in election that will have record number of voters

Voters in the Bahamas head to the polls on Tuesday in a hotly contested general election featuring high-profile candidates such as the former basketball champion Rick Fox.

Voters in the Caribbean archipelago are divided over concerns about immigration, especially from neighbouring Haiti, and the rising cost of living, with significant spikes in gas prices caused by war in the Middle East.
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Mississippi teen becomes one of youngest people ever to graduate law school

James Chilimigras, 18, graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans’ law school

A Mississippi teenager recently became one of the youngest people ever to graduate from law school after gaining admission in 2023 at age 15.

James “Jimmy” Chilimigras, 18, graduated on Sunday with highest honors from Loyola University New Orleans’ law school, a little more than three years after he earned national news headlines with an entrance exam score that was the highest in a region encompassing his home state, Alabama to the east, and Louisiana to the west.
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Paying in sweat! How Debbie Allen went from stardom in Fame to conquer Hollywood

She played the world’s coolest dance teacher and has had big success as an actor, director and choreographer, winning a Golden Globe, Emmys and an Olivier. Now, she is back on Broadway. She discusses Trump, the Kennedy Center and where the US goes next

Debbie Allen once found herself judging the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City alongside a charismatic property developer named Donald Trump. He had just bought an 86-metre superyacht named Nabila and rebranded it the Trump Princess. Eager to flaunt his prize, he invited Allen, a dancer, choreographer, actor and director, and her sister, the actor Phylicia Rashad, aboard for a private tour.

The opulence of the vessel was astonishing, Allen recalls: there was a bathroom carved from lapis lazuli, a fully equipped nightclub and fine paintings hanging on the walls. “It was incredible. I remember him telling me: ‘Debbie, you can have a party on this.’ I said: ‘If I do it, honey, it’s going to be all Black people.’”
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Getting New York’s Piers Ready for the ‘Semiquin’ on July 4

The city expects 45 tall ships from 20 nations for the 250th anniversary celebration. Where will they dock?


Starmer tells cabinet he will not quit without leadership challenge

Prime minister says process for challenging a leader has not been triggered and Labour should get on with governing

• UK politics live – latest updates
• Who are the main threats to Starmer’s leadership?

Keir Starmer has told his cabinet he will not resign as prime minister, saying the threshold for a leadership challenge has not been met.

In comments that effectively dared the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to launch a challenge against him, Starmer said he intended to get on with governing.
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Labour MP in seat eyed by Burnham allies says she will not stand aside

Exclusive: Marie Rimmer backs Keir Starmer and deals blow to Greater Manchester mayor’s byelection hopes

UK politics live – latest updates

Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to Westminster were dealt a blow on Tuesday as the Merseyside MP whose seat had been named by key allies for a potential byelection said she would not stand down and backed Keir Starmer to stay in office.

Marie Rimmer, the MP for St Helens South and Whiston, said the mayor of Greater Manchester had not spoken to her “in years” – and that her priority was to avoid the chaos of a leadership contest.
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Tax cuts and cost of living help proposed by Labour-linked groups allied to Streeting and Burnham

With Starmer under growing pressure to resign, Growth and Tribune groups put forward ideas for policy revamps

UK politics live – latest updates

Groups connected to the health secretary, Wes Streeting, and the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, have proposed large changes to government policy, giving a sense of how the country may change should either one succeed Keir Starmer.

The Growth Group, allied to Streeting, and the Tribune group of Labour MPs, allied to Burnham, have published competing visions for how Britain should run, including sweeping tax cuts, help with the cost of living and big reforms to government machinery.
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UK long-term borrowing costs hit highest since 1998 as Starmer faces pressure to stand down – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

Politics Live: Minister says Starmer is ‘listening’ but refuses to say if PM will stay on ahead of critical cabinet meeting

Starmer on the brink as cabinet ministers urge him to quit

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at investing and trading platform IG, says:

There is no clear plan for what comes next, but markets are already pricing in a new PM who will open the floodgates on spending despite the UK’s dangerous fiscal situation.

Faced with hordes of Labour MPs worried about their re-election chances as Reform surges, a new PM will find it very hard to resist calls to spend more money in order to shore up their embattled party.

We could see a blowout in longer-dated gilts if this turns into a dogfight– political, fiscal and inflationary risks will rise.

Markets tend to dislike a lack of certainty over who runs a government; the fiscal position is already fragile and likely to become worse should a left-leaning ticket prioritise spending; and that this makes inflation stickier.
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‘I shared a single bed with my mother for three years’: Sung Tieu on her monument to immigrant workers in Venice

At the German pavilion, the artist has re-created the housing estate where she grew up to tell the forgotten history of migrants, including her parents, hired under a socialist agreement between East Germany and Vietnam – then abandoned

An air of civilisational wipeout hangs over the Gehrenseestrasse complex, an abandoned housing estate on the north-eastern outskirts of Berlin, where the city still looks shabby without the chic. The insides of the nine prefabricated blocks have long been gutted; six floors of empty window frames stare hollow-eyed over multi-lane carriageways. In the courtyard, paintballers have left behind wooden barricades from when they played at World War III.

Yet in one of the second-floor rooms of Berlin’s largest ruin, artist Sung Tieu is waltzing across the concrete floor and reliving scenes from her childhood. “Here was the single bed I shared with my mother for three years,” she says, pointing into a corner of the small room. “Two metres by 90cm, can you believe it?” There in the corridor is where her neighbours used to make bánh bao dumplings on camping stoves, for lack of private kitchens. “I still remember the smell.” Here was the door through which she used to entertain her best friend when his mother locked him in during working hours. “We played cards through the gaps,” she recalls with glee.
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Player Grades: Lakers vs. Thunder

Los Angeles, CA - May 11:Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) celebrates with fans after hitting a three-pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game four of the second round of the NBA playoffs in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, May 11, 2026.(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In a season defined by their resiliency, the Lakers ended the year in a fitting manner.

With their backs firmly against the wall, the team responded with its stiffest punch. LA knocked OKC back on its heels in the third quarter for the first time this series, then went toe-to-toe with them in the fourth.

Even if the final score amounted to the same result as the preceding three contests, the Lakers could head home knowing they went out giving it all they had. Moral victories mean nothing in the playoffs, but LA can have plenty of pride in how its season ended.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
LeBron James
40 minutes, 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-18 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6-8 FT, -17

The schedule certainly seemed to catch up to LeBron as the series played on, but it still was an impactful showing in Game 4. He was still able to get to the rim, though finishing there was a different story, as evidenced by his final shot of the game — and as a Laker? — late in the game.

He also had a really untimely turnover late after a rebound. But considering what was asked of him at 41 years old? He held up as well as you could hope.

Grade: A-
Rui Hachimura
43 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 5 fouls, 9-15 FG, 4-8 3PT, 3-3 FT, -2

More than one Laker had the game of their life with Rui at the top of that list. He capped off a truly incredible postseason run with the biggest game of his career. No shot was more important than his four-point play with under two minutes to go, but every basket he had felt huge.

Grade: A+
Deandre Ayton
21 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 3-3 FG, -2

It was a nightmare series for Ayton, who ended it on a sour note. Whatever hopes this team had for him as a center of the future disappeared in this series. He was thoroughly outplayed nearly every second he squared off with Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein.

His player option means he’ll hold the cards at first as to whether he’s a Laker next year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a one-and-done partnership.

Grade: D
Austin Reaves
43 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 8 turnovers, 5 fouls, 8-16 FG, 3-7 3PT, 8-9 FT, -6

Without question, the eight turnovers and five fouls were bad. And yet, there’s an argument to be made that this was both his best game of the series and, subsequently, the best game of his career, given the context.

Fresh off an injury that ruled him out for a month, Reaves returned to play the best team in basketball in a role he wasn’t in when he went down, a nearly impossible task. He carried the Lakers offensively throughout the contest in his Luka-lite role and did so about as well as you could reasonably ask.

And if his final three fell, there’d have been no question this was his best game ever.

Grade: A
Marcus Smart
36 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls, 2-8 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +5

It wasn’t a great Smart game. He turned the ball over six times and committed five fouls. And when your starting backcourt has 14 turnovers and 10 fouls, you’re not going to win many games.

But he made just enough of the little plays to make him valuable, then made one really big play with his late and-one layup.

Grade: B+
Luke Kennard
24 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 2-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, +15

A relatively quiet night for Kennard, who returned back to his regular form in the playoffs after a strong Game 3. He had a nice reverse layup when the Lakers were rolling, but he also was being picked on relentlessly by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when they shared the floor.

It would have been nice if the Lakers could have gone to someone else in those minutes, but, alas.

Grade: C+
Jaxson Hayes
27 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-8 FG, 6-6 FT, -1

The last Laker to have the game of his life was Jaxson Hayes, who was possessed by some otherworldly spirit in this one. He had multiple huge poster slams and a huge, momentum-shifting block of Ajay Mitchell. Considering he’s spent the vast, vast majority of his Lakers tenure being unplayable in postseason games, this was a welcome, and shocking, surprise.

Grade: A+
Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero, Maxi Kleber
With 10 functioning fingers, Vando was borderline unplayable this series. In 2:45 on Monday, he was a -12. Thiero was given another chance in Game 4, but two of his offensive possessions included him cutting down the lane in front of a teammate and airballing a 3-pointer, so that, too, was short-lived.

Kleber only came in to set a screen late to help Austin get a good look at the game-tying shot.
JJ Redick
It’s hard to believe the same guy who played five guys in the second half of a playoff game is the one who had the Lakers battling the defending champions to the wire on Monday. Against a team with clearly more talent and depth, Redick schemed the team into a position to win on both ends of the floor.

If there’s any takeaway from these playoffs, it’s that Redick’s errors of last year can be written off as rookie blunders.

Grade: A

Monday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, Nick Smith Jr.

Monday’s inactives: Luka Dončić

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.


Southampton launch internal review into Middlesbrough spying allegations

Saints ‘request time to complete process thoroughly’

Playoff semi-final second leg at St Mary’s on Tuesday

Southampton have confirmed they have launched an internal review into allegations that one of their analysts spied on a Middlesbrough training session. Southampton, who host Boro in their playoff semi-final second leg on Tuesday, have asked for “the full context to be established before conclusions are drawn” after the English Football League charged the club with misconduct on the eve of their first-leg draw.

An independent disciplinary commission will determine any punishment, with potential sanctions ranging from a fine to expulsion from the playoffs. Boro, who believe they caught a member of Southampton’s backroom staff on their premises last Thursday, 48 hours before the first leg that finished 0-0, are adamant Saints should not receive a financial penalty in the event they are found guilty.
 Continue reading...


The Breakdown | Frontrunners’ defeats hint at twists and turns to come in Prem Rugby finale

Northampton and Bath were well beaten over the weekend: will Leicester or Exeter force themselves into the top two?

There are small but significant moments in every league campaign. Until the weekend it was widely assumed that Northampton and Bath, the two frontrunners in the English Prem, were all but nailed on for home semi-finals and, by extension, would almost certainly meet in the grand final at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 20 June.

That could still happen but, suddenly, others are entering the chat. Not only did Saints and Bath lose at the weekend but both were well beaten, 41-17 by Leicester and 35-12 by Exeter respectively. Bath, including their Champions Cup semi-final in Bordeaux, have lost three games on the trot. Northampton were not so much batted aside by the Tigers as unceremoniously flattened.
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12 Takeaways from Cavs series-tying Game 4 victory over Pistons: Cavaliers go as Donovan Mitchell does

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 09: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after a basket against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons to even the series confirmed Koby Altman’s vision for the team when he made the blockbuster trade that brought James Harden to town in February.

“It’s hard being the number one option on a championship-level team,” Altman said right after the trade deadline. “The good news for him is he has another number one option right next to him.”

For the second game in a row, the Cavs showed the value of having two guys who can comfortably shift into the number one role.

There’s a trust between Mitchell and Harden that you don’t always see with superstar teammates.

Mitchell has reiterated during this playoff run that he’s more than happy to get out of the way if Harden has it going.

“With the way they’re guarding me, it’s kind of like four on four in a sense,” Mitchell said after Game 3. “They’re not leaving me so he can create the way he can. He gets in the paint, there’s no help.”

Mitchell willingly ceded control of the offense out of the gate, just as he did down the stretch on Saturday. Harden scored or assisted on Cleveland’s first 11 points, which helped them avoid digging a hole at the start of the game, as they did in their previous three games.

That was much needed on a night Mitchell struggled to get anything going early when he tried to. He compiled just four points on 1-8 shooting in the first half. Despite the strong overall start, the Cavs found themselves down by four at the break.

Mitchell determines the ceiling of this team. We’ve seen this repeatedly throughout the playoffs. The Cavs barely scraped by a Toronto Raptors team that they were far more skilled than, partially because they contained Mitchell.

“Toronto was unique in how they sold out on taking him (Mitchell), and James away,” Cavs’ head coach Kenny Atkinson said before Game 4. “Detroit has a little more comfort in their base defense and what they do.”

Mitchell made a compelling argument that the Pistons should shift out of their base defense.

Mitchell’s game is predicated on getting into the paint. He scored the first five points of the third quarter by getting to his floater in the lane, finding a rhythm he wasn’t able to discover in the first half. And once he gets the defense on its back foot, the outside shot opens up.

A three off a Harden assist, a pull-up triple, and then a step-back with his foot on the line took Mitchell’s strong start to the quarter into the stretch that essentially ended the game.

This all led to a 22-0 run for the Cavs that saw them turn a four-point deficit into an 18-point advantage. Mitchell provided 15 of those 22 points during that span.

In total, Mitchell poured in 21 points on 8-9 shooting in the third quarter alone. That mark tied him with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for the most in a quarter for a Cavalier in the postseason.

Anytime your name is mentioned with those two, you’re in pretty good company.

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That impressive third-quarter run was only possible because of Cleveland’s defense, specifically Evan Mobley’s.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year reminded everyone how impactful he can be, as he registered five blocks and three steals in what his head coach called possibly the best game he’s seen from him defensively.

Mobley has done a great job of controlling the paint and making life difficult for Detroit’s All-Star center, Jalen Duren.

This was another tough outing in what has been a rocky road for Duren. He was limited to just eight points and two rebounds on Monday.

Both Mobley and Jarrett Allen have done a good job of not ceding offensive ground to Duren. They’ve contained him in the pick-and-roll and have been physical with him when he’s gotten the ball on the block.

Limiting Duren has forced more of the scoring burden onto Cunningham’s shoulders. He wasn’t able to carry it like he needed to on a day when Cleveland’s backcourt had it going.

The Cavaliers won the possession game. They had five fewer turnovers and five more points off opponent giveaways. Additionally, they won the second-chance points battle by five.

Detroit’s two wins have come off dominating both categories. The Cavs have done a much better job of cleaning this up since the series shifted to Cleveland.

Mitchell didn’t stop with an impressive third quarter.

The onslaught continued in the fourth until he put up 43 points. His 39-second-half points tie a league record for the most points scored in a half of a playoff game.

“He’s electric,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said afterward. “You let him get going, we know what he’s capable of. He hit some tough shots, but that’s what he does.”

Part of Mitchell’s effectiveness came from his ability to get to the line. He attempted 15 free throws while the Pistons as a group took just 12. That is something Bickerstaff took issue with, calling the free-throw disparity “unacceptable.”

“Ever since coming to Cleveland, the whistle has changed,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team. We’re not a settle team. We’re not a jump shooting team. We drive the ball, attack the paint. … It’s frustrating, but we can’t allow that to be the reason why [we lost]. Because we didn’t play well enough or to the best of our capabilities.”

Mitchell was on the other end of this issue earlier in this series, but has changed how he’s played since initially complaining.

“You can control what you can control,” Mitchell said. “And I can control getting downhill. Like I told y’all, I can’t say something about not getting calls and then shoot jump shots.”

Cleveland’s backcourt has done a good job of finding ways to be impactful at the same time.

Even though Harden didn’t have the same scoring numbers in the second half as he had in the first, he still was orchestrating the offense with 11 assists and finished with 25 points.

The current duo has struck a balance that Mitchell and Darius Garland weren’t able to discover.

One of the common criticisms of the Mitchell and Garland backcourt was that only one of them could be at the top of their game at a time. Something about their styles didn’t mesh as cleanly as it should’ve. While it’s true the pairing disproved some of those concerns last regular season, they were never able to actually do so in the playoffs.

Conversely, Harden and Mitchell have already shown numerous times this postseason run that they can, due to the quick chemistry they’ve developed in just three months.

“You have to learn to play together with somebody like that,” Jarrett Allen said about the current backcourt. “You have to learn how to share the ball and co-exist with two excellent players on your side. I feel like every single game, they learn something different about each other. They’re willing to take a step back and let the other one shine…it’s incredible to watch.”

The Cavs have defended their home court and have evened the series at two. Now, they need to find a way to steal at least one game in Detroit — a place they’ve melted late in the first two games.

So what’s it going to take to get it done in Game 5?

“Everything,” Mitchell said. “It’s been a hostile environment. We need each other. We’ve had two good games to build off of. … It’s going to be a lot of fun. I know we’re ready for the challenge.”


Just say no. Lakers should learn their lesson, avoid Giannis Antetokounmpo

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, cheering on the team he's coaching in the Celebrity All-Star Game at the Kia Forum in February, might not be the best fit in the future for the Lakers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
I get it, you’re still thinking about the Lakers getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

It was a valiant fight to the end, Monday’s season-ending 115-110 loss. A thriller for naught.

But now we’ve finally reached the big, beautiful offseason the Lakers have been teasing for months. This pivotal moment that’s had them hoarding assets and fencing off their financial flexibility. All but paralyzed by possibility.

Even after jogging in place all this time, they’ve finally caught up with the can they kicked down the road: All indications are that the Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to hit the trade market.

And the Lakers — loaded with trade ammunition and cap space and forever wishing on star players — are going to be expected to make a play.

But they should run a different play.

Read more:Lakers fight to the finish but are eliminated by Thunder

For months, they’ve been signaling as if with a searchlight how much they covet the 6-foot-11 Greek forward. So, of course, they’re going to take a run at the two-time NBA MVP, 10-time All-Star, 2021 NBA champion who will earn about $58 million next season, when the 31-year-old will expect a massive, multi-year extension.

They should run the other direction.

The Lakers have stockpiled cap space and picks — as of draft night, they’ll have 2026, 2031 and 2033 first-rounders to offer — like they’re doomsayers outfitting a bunker. If they fill all that available cap space with Antetokounmpo’s salary, they won’t be using it on LeBron James or Rui Hachimura. The Lakers likely also will have to empty their cupboard of those first-round picks.

And, yes, it would be a disaster to dedicate all of that to an aging Antetokounmpo instead of doing the work to build a suitable army of role players to take on OKC’s corps — and to orbit Doncic, the guy who the Lakers already brought in to save the days ahead.

But, wait, you say, this is the Lakers. This is stars shine here.

Sure, but what does L.A. love most? Winners.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves questions an official about a call during Game 4 against the Thunder on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
You know what constitutes a winning formula in today’s NBA?

Depth. Athleticism. Versatility. Optionality. Think, the 2019-2020 Lakers.

You know what doesn’t win?

Imbalanced rosters. Top-heavy teams. All your dang eggs in one basket. The misfit Russell Westbrook Lakers. These 2026 three-or-D Lakers. And certainly not a flimsy, clunky Luka Doncic-and-Antetokounmpo Lakers.

Sure, those guys are great players. They could figure it out.

But would it be an optimum use of their respective talents?

In Greek: όχι. In Slovenian: Ne.

In Los Angelese: Oh, heck no.

Read more:Plaschke: For the sake of their future, Lakers should bid farewell to LeBron James

Everyone knows to get the best out of a Luka-led team, you surround him with shooters — and Antetokounmpo is 28.5% from deep for his career. But Hachimura — proven playoff riser and certified laser — is a 51.6% three-point shooter in the postseason; the better more-gifted player isn’t necessarily the better fit.

Because everyone also knows Antetokounmpo is at his best when he’s barreling toward the rim with the ball in his hands — during which time Doncic is going to be doing what? Standing in the corner, arguing with the refs?

The last time they waited to catch the big fish, he didn’t bite. Fortuitously. They missed out on injury-prone Kawhi Leonard, who chose the Clippers before the 2019-20 season and left the Lakers to scramble to assemble … a championship roster.

Around James and Anthony Davis — who, fun fact, made just $27 million that season before agreeing to a historic and more cumbersome three-year extension — the Lakers had shooters who could defend, like Danny Green. And defenders who could shoot, like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso. Length all over the court. Athleticism in the post: JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard who could play with or for AD.

It’s the blueprint OKC has been using, the same one the Lakers discarded to go big-name hunting, bringing aboard Westbrook by trading away Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a No. 22 pick.

Talk about a brick.
Milwaukee fired coach Doc Rivers and might be trading superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. (Jeffrey Phelps / Associated Press)
Similar story in Milwaukee, where Antetokounmpo’s Bucks went all in for Damian Lillard and have nothing but failure to show for it.

So if — or, well, when — the Lakers go in mad pursuit of Giannis, I will have questions.

I’ll question why the Bucks would have the appetite to send another singular, single-name talent to L.A. after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came and won five championships here.

I’ll question whether Giannis wants to be in L.A., our “superficial” city, as he called it.

I’ll question why the Lakers would invest so heavily on an aging, oft-injured star whose game is predicated on athleticism and not the out-of-this-world basketball IQ like 41-year-old LeBron.

And, yes, I’ll question the fit and the function and whether the Lakers have fully missed what’s been happening around them — and to them.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


The Lakers can proud of how they went out against Thunder

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round Two Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 11, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES – Entering Monday’s contest, it was clear that the Thunder were a better team than the Lakers. Oklahoma City had won every playoff game against LA in blowout fashion and swept the regular-season series 4-0.

The only question left was whether the Lakers would put up a fight in Game 4.

In their most competitive game of the season, the Lakers took the Thunder to the wire in a back-and-forth fourth quarter. In the end, though, the result mirrored the three previous games, but the energy, effort and execution, particularly in the second half, did not.

“You’ve seen these 3-0 games before,” JJ Redick said postgame. “I thought there were two different times during the game where our team could’ve gave in, could’ve let go of the rope. We didn’t.

“I thought the crowd was awesome tonight. I’ve been part of these on both sides where it’s a 3-0 [series] and you’re playing on the road or you’re playing at home and the crowd can just not be great. The crowd was awesome. Our fans were awesome.”

The Lakers showed rather quickly in the first quarter what type of fight they would have as they played some of their best basketball of the series.

Austin Reaves led the charge, going 3-for-3 from the field, and with the Lakers taking care of the ball, they held a lead after the first quarter for the first time in the series.

The Lakers kept on fighting.

Jaxson Hayes was a wrecking ball in the paint in the second half. He was dunking with authority and being a defensive disruptor. LeBron James and Luke Kennard were hitting shots from beyond the arc and, after a Hayes slam late in the third quarter, the Lakers had their first lead since the start of the second.

As the third quarter buzzer sounded with the Lakers up three, the crowd erupted in approval. Reaves was clapping emphatically and Kennard raised his hands up like he was Rocky Balboa standing at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

But in the end, the result was the same. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made some clutch free throws late and Ajay Mitchell continued to dominate scoring in bunches. The Thunder, for the fourth time in this series and the eighth consecutive time this season, beat theLakers and eliminated them from the playoffs.

Sometimes, the attempt at greatness is the reward. It’s part of the process and, while only one team wins the championship every year, there are a handful that commit to the process necssary for greatness. The Lakers fit the bill.

“I think one of the biggest wins for us is the multiple times throughout the regular season and the multiple times towards the end of the regular season with the injuries and during the playoffs, where we could have just laid down,” Redick said.“Tonight would have been an easy night for us to lay down.

“And I don’t know, who the F came up with moral victories. I don’t even know what that phrase means. I don’t believe in it. But, I look at all the small wins along the way as part of the journey.”

They were shorthanded the entire postseason and understood the Thunder just had more weapons, but while the results never went their way, their effort was never in question.

Throughout this series, Hachimura was a playoff riser, delivering some incredible performances. Reaves struggled in Game 1 and overcame those challenges to have some really solid games against the Thunder. And Marcus Smart defended SGA as well as anyone has.

The truth is, they just don’t have the roster necessary to combat the depth the Thunder have. OKC is flat-out the better team.

"They're really f–king good," Auston Reaves' analysis of the Thunder.
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) May 12, 2026

While moral victories are worth as much as monopoly money, there is something to be said about having a never-say-die attitude. It’s why the Lakers have had back-to-back 50-win seasons under Redick.

It’s why the Lakers beat the Rockets without Luka entirely while only having Reaves for two games. And it’s why the futures in Los Angeles, even after a disappointing end to the season, remain bright.

Before the game, Redick quoted Dermot Kennedy’s song “Refuge,” saying, “We can’t know the end until it’s over.”

Well, the time has come to put an end to this chapter of the Lakers’ book. So what better way to do it than with the final lines from Kennedy’s record?

“Darling, I’m shaking tonight. Chasing a dream, but I’m tired. If we never make it, at least we can say we died trying.”

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.


Open Thread: A pair of Spurs Super fans make the news

Oct 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Fans wait for San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) to enter the court before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
I have a confession. I am obsessed with the Spurs. How many of you know exactly what I’m talking about?

My Twitter feed is Spurs- Spurs players, Spurs journalists, Spurs fans, the Jackals, even former Silver Dancers, and some other sports and NBA outlets and pundits.

My Facebook feed is constantly populated by Spurs Sixth Man updates. There is a community of Spurs family that share their favorite moments.

If you saw my Instagram feed, you might assume I was President of the Jacob Tobey Fan Club. (Unofficially, yes, but it’s not a recognized charter…yet.)

So imagine my surprise when I saw this:

Thank you KSAT for the love 💯 #Puro#PorVidahttps://t.co/AUFdMTtqon
— Spurnandez (@RealSpurnandez) May 9, 2026

KSAT 12, San Antonio’s primary affiliate for ABC, posted how two Spurs fans are “spreading love outside of SA.”

Mark Burnett known as @SpursSixthMan has been facilitating multiple social media outlets dedicated to the San Antonio Spurs. For those who frequent Spurs socials, he is the fan who went to the Naismith Hall of Fame when Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, Pao Gasol, and Becky Hammon were inducted. After procuring their autographs on his arm, he had them tattooed. He also has Wemby’s signature tattooed on his arm.
Screenshot
I ran into him at a game and got a quick photo of him with my daughter.

Mark’s a great guy a wealth of knowledge about the team. He is always head-to-toe Spurs dedication when attending games, and probably most days just hanging around his house.

Ric Fernandez, known as @RealSpurnandez on social media, just infiltrated the Target Center for Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. He’s another who lives his fandom to the fullest and posts Spurs stories and adventures regularly. He is a military veteran and proud family man, and he reps the Spurs with all he’s got. This is the guy you want to be sitting next to when the Spurs hit that big shot.

We made Minnesota San Antonio territory, yall could never… #PorVidahttps://t.co/3FWvkU15TJpic.twitter.com/Eey5O7u9dI
— Spurnandez (@RealSpurnandez) May 11, 2026

Tattoos. Repping fiesta colors in enemy territory. Living the Silver & Black (and Fiesta) dream.

I’m sure we all have those great personal stories. Share yours, Pounders!

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.