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The surging Indiana Pacers continue a five-game homestand on Monday when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Indianapolis for the second meeting between the teams in a week.
Indiana (41-29) began its four-game winning streak on March 17 at the expense of Minnesota's eight-game win streak. The Pacers won a 132-130 overtime decision behind 34 points and 10 rebounds from Obi Toppin, which set the tone for Indiana's current stretch of success.
With a 108-103 defeat of Brooklyn on Saturday, the Pacers scored their fourth straight win by six points or fewer. Indiana held a 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter before the Nets battled back to pull within one possession.
Pascal Siakam, who finished with a game-high 26 points, helped Indiana avoid collapse with eight points down the stretch.
The win over Brooklyn -- Indiana's second against the Nets in as many games after a 105-99 overtime contest on Thursday -- marked Tyrese Haliburton's return to the lineup from lower back soreness.
Haliburton missed the first three games of Indiana's winning streak, including last week's visit to Minnesota. The 2023-24 All-NBA guard finished with 16 points and 12 assists on Saturday, including an alley-oop pass to Toppin that the forward flushed home on a 360.
"Felt good for the majority of the game, so I'm thankful for that," Haliburton said. "My back's had issues my whole life. We've worked really hard to try to get rid of them and do everything we can."
Indiana hopes to have a healthy Haliburton for its final 12-game push to close the regular season. The Pacers narrowly hold fourth place in the Eastern Conference -- and the final seed with homecourt advantage for a playoff series -- up one game over Milwaukee and 2 1/2 games on Detroit.
Minnesota (41-31) is similarly locked in a tight closing push in the West with homecourt advantage in reach. However, the Timberwolves find themselves in eighth place through Saturday, just three games behind the fourth-place Los Angeles Lakers, 2 1/2 games behind Memphis and a half-game behind Golden State.
After Indiana snapped Minnesota's eight-game win streak, the Timberwolves dropped a surprising 119-115 decision to sputtering New Orleans on Wednesday. The team rebounded with a 134-93 blowout of the Pelicans on Friday when Julius Randle's 20 points led seven Minnesota scorers in double figures.
"That's when we're at our best, when we're confident and sharing the ball, everybody's getting touches, everybody's getting involved," Randle said in his postgame interview with FanDuel Sports Network.
The power forward averages 18.7 points and seven rebounds per game, second behind Anthony Edwards' 27.5 points and Rudy Gobert's 10.3 boards.
Edwards, who ranks fourth in NBA scoring this season, posted 38 points in last week's meeting with Indiana despite shooting a dismal 1-for-11 from 3-point range. A 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc this season, Edwards has since rebounded with a combined 7-of-17 effort from 3-point range over Minnesota's last two outings.
Edwards is the catalyst of a Timberwolves offense that shoots 38 percent on 3-point attempts, fifth in the NBA. Minnesota's 15.2 made 3-pointers per game also rank fifth in the league.
More must-reads:
- No Jayson Tatum, no problem: Celtics down Magic in Game 2
- Three stars from Wednesday's NBA playoffs
- The 'Most 30-point games in NBA playoff history' quiz
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The Daily Mail revealed the Celtics' staffer Ime Udoka had an affair with, and her connections within the organization. The Boston Celtics were flying high after last season, having made it to the NBA Finals with first-year Head Coach Ime Udoka in charge. However, they were rocked by a scandal recently, with Udoka being suspended for a season following what was reported as a consensual workplace relationship. However, as more details came out, it became apparent that the situation was more complicated than initially anticipated, and the understanding is that Udoka likely won't return after a year. With not many details being made available to the public, fans were left to guess what had happened. This led to an unexpected consequence, a lot of the female Celtics' staff members were stalked online and discussed as potential partners. It got so bad that GM Brad Stevens had to address it, with the situation getting quite upsetting for the aforementioned employees. There was a report suggesting that Udoka had been involved with a staff member that organized travel for the team, and had even done so for his fiancee Nia Long. However, no names came out until recently, when some new information came to light in a report. Ime Udoka's Alleged Affair Partner Has Been Named As Kathleen Nimmo Lynch According to a report from the Daily Mail, the employee that Udoka had an affair with was team service manager, 34-year-old Kathleen Nimmo Lynch. Lynch is married and a mother of three children and reportedly a devout Mormon. Lynch is married and a mother of three children and reportedly a devout Mormon. A video of her interacting with Udoka also surfaced recently. After Lynch's name came out to the public, it was revealed that her husband Taylor Lynch has reportedly been involved with the Celtics as a 'valued consultant.' "One of the two women involved in a inappropriate relationship with Head Coach Ime Udoka is Kathleen Nimmo-Lynch. She’s a married mother of 3. Here she is seen pictured with her family including her husband Taylor Lynch, a highly valued consultant for the Boston Celtics." And what's more, Kathleen had ties with Danny Ainge, the former Head Of Basketball Operations for the Celtics. This was also revealed in the Daily Mail article. "Danny Ainge, who was the organization’s executive director of basketball operations and is now linked with Utah Jazz. It appears to have long-standing relationships with the 34-year-old team service manager who was born and raised in a Mormon home and aided her in getting this position. "The team had earlier launched an investigation for Kathleen and Udoka’s affair. According to a source in The Daily Mail, even though Ainge was informed of the team’s decision, he made no attempt to influence the inquiry or the team’s choice to suspend the coach." This latest revelation has not been confirmed by any of the parties involved directly, but it seems to be doing the rounds in the media a lot. Lynch has seemingly removed all her social media since the news broke as well. One way or another, this matter has been a sad chapter in the proud history of the Boston Celtics.
Recently fired HC emerges as possibility to win vacant Flyers job
The Philadelphia Flyers are searching for a John Tortorella replacement, and now they may have found one in another recently fired head coach. The Flyers appeared set to remain under John Tortorella after turning it around in 2023-24, but with a disastrous season this year and a confrontation with defenseman Cam York, things kept getting worse and the team eventually let him go. This leaves them with an interesting decision to make behind the bench this summer, as many believe they'll look to a young coach to help guide the core of Matvei Michkov, York, Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk and others. However, there has emerged another intriguing option, with recently fired former Seattle Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma becoming a potential candidate for a role in Philadelphia as it looks to complete its turnaround and get back to competing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As mentioned by Broad Street Hockey, he's certainly a retread and won't bring much new to the table that a lot of these players haven't seen before, but after Tortorella, another veteran that has adapted to the game a little better could be a solid option for this team. What's worrying, however, is that Bylsma was fired after just one season with the Kraken, and while he definitely struggled to get the best out of the team, they certainly weren't one of the worst teams in the league, meaning there could have been issues behind the scenes there as well. Ultimately, Bylsma has a record of 355-231-61 in a career that dates back to 2008-09 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while his last few showings haven't been perfect, with an elite young talent like Michkov leading the way, perhaps this is his opportunity to cement himself as a successful, long-term coach for a franchise.
Will concerning update on star DT change Raiders' draft plans?
Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins missed most of his debut year in Las Vegas after season-ending surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot. Now, according to Sportkeeda’s Tony Pauline, he is at risk of missing “a significant portion of the 2025 season” due to a potential second procedure on his foot. Wilkins signed a four-year, $110M contract with the Raiders last March which made him the second-highest-paid DT in the NFL. He recorded 2.0 sacks in his first five games in Las Vegas before landing on injured reserve. The Raiders already need depth along the interior of their defensive line, and an extended absence from Wilkins would make the position a dire need. That could impact the team’s plans in the upcoming draft. Las Vegas, who holds the sixth overall pick in Thursday’s draft, was considered a likely landing spot for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Now that he’s trending towards the Jaguars at No. 5, the Raiders are expected to pivot to the trenches with their first-rounder. Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou are the leading candidates, per Pauline, as well as Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The potential for Wilkins to miss time this year may tilt the Raiders’ interest towards Graham, who is the consensus DT1 in the 2025 class. General manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady were roommates in Ann Arbor in college and could look to add another Wolverine to the mix. Graham also had a long call with defensive line coach Rob Leonard, per Fowler, with a guest appearance from potential teammate Maxx Crosby. However, some within the Raiders organization are pushing for an offensive lineman, according to Diana Russini of The Athletic. Left tackle Kolton Miller is seeking an extension in the last year of his contract, and the new regime in Las Vegas may prefer to draft his replacement instead. Either Membou or Banks could compete for a starting job at guard or right tackle as a rookie with the long-term goal of taking over on the left side later on. The Raiders have also explored trading up from the No. 6 pick, per Russini. They could be looking to jump the Jaguars for Jeanty after doing extensive work on him during the predraft process.
Rams’ new mock selection ahead of 2025 NFL Draft will have fans raising eyebrows
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