Thanks to 27 points from Mathurin and the kind of pyrotechnics the Pacers have grown to adore from reserve point guard McConnell, Indiana has the advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Tyrese Haliburton provided heroics with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds while Pascal Siakam added 21 points for the Pacers, who haven't lost back-to-back games since December.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points. Chet Holmgren compiled 20 points and 10 rebounds but shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday in Indianapolis.

The Thunder trailed 110-102 with three minutes to go, but Alex Caruso tried to keep the Pacers from a premature celebration with a steal and breakaway into the open court. Two steps into the paint, Aaron Nesmith closed and forcefully brought both arms down on Caruso to prevent the shot attempt and take him to the floor. Following a review, no flagrant foul was called.

Caruso made both free throws and Indiana's Myles Turner subsequently lost the ball out of bounds. However, Turner, who missed eight of his first 10 shots, came up with two blocks of Holmgren on the same possession to keep the lead at six.

Indiana got another stop, and Siakam lit up the stadium for good with an easy basket that gave the Pacers a 112-104 lead with 69 seconds left.

McConnell was seemingly everywhere, and he came up with massive defensive plays all game.

He ripped off Caruso's bullet inbounds pass with two hands at point-blank range under the basket and pumped in a layup to tie the game at 95 early in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin cashed a trey off a McConnell assist, putting the Pacers up 98-96.

Haliburton entered for the first time in the fourth quarter, took a handoff at the top of the key, stopped, squared and splashed his fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 101-98 lead with 6:42 remaining.

Indiana's Aaron Nembhard made a 12-foot jumper from the left elbow and the Pacers got it back after a missed 3-point attempt, taking a touchdown lead (107-100) on Obi Toppin's two-hand dunk off of a miss with 4:23 to go.

Nesmith caught a skip pass on the right wing and drained a trey on Indiana's next possession for an eight-point lead.

McConnell hit a running right-handed layup between two clutch buckets by Mathurin as the Pacers stayed close, down 93-91, with 10 minutes to play.

Oklahoma City had surged ahead for its biggest lead of the second half -- 89-84 -- to end of the third. Williams hit a long 3-pointer came after an and-1 baseline dunk by Holmgren, who moved through the swiping hands of McConnell to finish.

Williams played a lot of the game with the ball in his hands as the Pacers worked to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in check.

McConnell leads NBA reserves in assists per game in playoffs (4.1).

The Baloncesto Superior Nacional League also fined Cousins $4,250, and he could be subject to another fine of $5,570, according to the league.

The incident occurred Monday when Cousins was playing on the road for the Guaynabo Mets.

"As an organization, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise," the Mets said in a news release.

The situation began with Cousins exchanging words with a fan before he grabbed his crotch while walking toward the courtside seats. Cousins then grabbed the fan's arm as things quickly escalated.

Teammates attempted to pull Cousins away and other fans began to hurl insults at Cousins. After being ejected, Cousins was doused by liquids as he left the floor. Security tackled him at one point to hold him back from trying to get into the stands.

Cousins, 34, was averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while playing in the top pro basketball league in Puerto Rico for the second time. He also played in the league in 2023.

Cousins hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season. He was a four-time All-Star in 11 seasons but his career was derailed by two major injuries.

In January 2018, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury with the New Orleans Pelicans. After returning to play 30 games for the Golden State Warriors the next season, he tore the ACL in his left knee in August 2019 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and missed the entire season.

Cousins played for seven NBA teams with the best part of his career being his 6 1/2 seasons with the Sacramento Kings from 2010-17. He finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2011 after being the fifth overall pick out of Kentucky.

Overall, Cousins averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 654 games (561 starts).

The Suns and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman have met "multiple times" in the past week to discuss potential destinations for the future Hall of Famer, per the report.

Teams that have reportedly expressed interest in the 36-year-old forward include the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, although the report indicated that "several wild-card suitors" have recently entered the conversation.

Durant is due to earn $54.7 million in 2025-26. If he is traded, the 15-time All-Star becomes eligible to sign a two-year extension worth up to $112 million in July.

The Suns finished 36-46 this season despite having the highest payroll in NBA history, leading to the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer and a demotion for general manager James Jones.

A two-time NBA champion and four-time scoring champion, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games (all starts) in 2024-25.

Per the Celtics, Brown is expected to be ready to participate in training camp without limitation.

Brown, 28, finished the playoffs with a partially torn meniscus, ESPN reported.

He averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs for the Celtics, who lost star Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles before being eliminated by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A four-time All-Star and 2025 NBA Finals MVP, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and a career-high 4.5 assists in 63 games (all starts) this season.

Brown has averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 603 career games (496 starts) since being selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Tom Thibodeau said his goodbyes in a full-page advertisement he took out in The New York Times, reflecting on his five seasons as head coach.

"To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you," his message began.

His firing by team president Leon Rose came three days after a season-ending Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, the farthest the Knicks had advanced in the postseason in a quarter-century.

"When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dreams became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year's run to the Eastern Conference finals -- our first in 25 years."

Where Rose goes from here to hire a coach remains to be seen.

Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that the Mavericks declined the Knicks' request to speak to Jason Kidd, who has a 179-149 record since being hired as head coach of Dallas ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Multiple reports Tuesday said the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets rejected the Knicks' request to talk with their head coaches -- Chris Finch and Ime Udoka, respectively -- about the job.

Thibodeau, 67, compiled a 226-174 (.565) record in the regular season, including a 51-31 finish this season. He was 24-23 in the playoffs with New York.

In July 2024, Thibodeau signed a three-year extension through 2027-28 that was worth a reported $10 million to $11 million per season.

Kidd signed a multiyear contract extension with Dallas in May 2024.

The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves refused the Knicks' request to speak with head coaches Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, respectively, ESPN reported Tuesday night.

The news comes a week after former Villanova coach Jay Wright reportedly stated that he would not be a candidate to take over for the fired Tom Thibodeau.

According to multiple media reports, the Knicks also are eyeing Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. However, The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Mavericks expect Kidd, 52, to remain with them. According to ESPN and The Athletic, the Knicks have not yet asked the Mavericks if they can talk to Kidd, whose contract runs two more seasons.

Thibodeau was ousted days after the Knicks made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, with their playoff run including a six-game second-round victory over the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

In five seasons with New York, Thibodeau, 67, compiled a 226-174 record, leading the team to the playoffs four teams. He also was head coach of the Chicago Bulls (2010-11 to 2014-15) and the Timberwolves (2016-17 to 2018-19) and owns a career mark of 578-420 during the regular season.

Udoka, 47, led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his lone season as Boston's head coach in 2021-22. He was suspended by the team for the following season due to a violation of team policy after allegedly having an improper relationship with a female staffer and ultimately was fired. Udoka coached the Rockets the past two seasons, producing a combined 93-71 regular-season record.

Finch, 55, just finished his fifth season in charge in Minnesota and led the Timberwolves to the postseason for the fourth year in a row, including Western Conference finals appearances the past two years. He has a 209-160 regular-season coaching record.

The NBA confirmed on Tuesday its 34th game in Mexico, the most of any country outside the U.S. and Canada.

The game will be celebrated as part of the "Dia de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) celebrations locally, including a variety of in-game activations, a themed court and initiatives for fans. This is the second consecutive year for the "Dia de Muertos" theme. Last year's game featured the Miami Heat vs. the Washington Wizards at the Arena CDMX on Nov. 2.

"The Mavericks and Pistons are two exciting teams that feature a mix of established and rising stars," NBA Latin America senior VP/head of operations Raul Zarraga said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming them back to Mexico and to once again celebrating 'Dia de Muertos' with the passionate NBA fans in Mexico and from across Latin America."

The Mavericks, who possess the top pick in the 2025 draft (expected to be Duke star Cooper Flagg), will be playing their eighth game in Mexico.

The Pistons, who just finished one of the biggest year-to-year turnarounds in NBA history while earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, will be playing their third game south of the border.

The live broadcast of the event is expected to stretch around the world, reaching more than 200 countries and territories via television, digital media and social media.

"The Detroit Pistons organization is excited to be participating in the NBA Mexico City Game 2025 next season," Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said in a statement. "Playing a regular-season game in Mexico City will be a great experience for our players and coaches, and we look forward to showcasing Detroit basketball to an international audience and a passionate, growing NBA fanbase."

Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said in a statement, "The vibrancy of Mexico City and the passion of its fans make it the perfect place to host these Global Games, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to represent the NBA and the city of Dallas in Mexico City for the eighth time."

The two-day draft is held in Brooklyn at Barclays Center with the top 30 picks made on June 25 and the second round the next day.

The Dallas Mavericks won the draft lottery and pick first followed by the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.

Flagg, the 2025 National Player of the Year, has been projected as the No. 1 pick in the draft for more than a year. The 6-foot-8 Flagg lived up to high expectations, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his lone college season. Flagg led Duke to the Final Four along with Knueppel and Maluach, who were key players in the Blue Devils' highly touted freshman class.

Knueppel, a 6-5 sharpshooter, hit 40.6 percent of his 3-point attempts in 39 games and averaged 14.4 points per game.

Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were also recipients of draft invites on Tuesday and are expected to closely follow Flagg off the board in the opening round.

Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas guard Tre Johnson, Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis and Maryland's 6-9 Derik Queen are also on the list, which is generated by the NBA via polling of decision-makers for all 30 teams.

Maluach played for South Sudan in the 2024 Summer Games. He's viewed as a project at 7-foot, 253 pounds, but showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.

ESPN reported Egor Demin (BYU), Carter Bryant (Arizona) and Asa Newell (Georgia) were also invited by the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-107 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers, which evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1, was the least watched Game 2 of the finals since 2007, when 8.55 million tuned in for the San Antonio Spurs-Cleveland Cavaliers matchup.

In the bubble at Walt Disney World in 2020, Game 2 of the finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers drew 7.54 million viewers.

This year's Game 2 viewership saw a drop of 30 percent from last year, when the Boston Celtics faced the Dallas Mavericks, and was watched by fewer viewers than the 2021 series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, which was affected by the pandemic.

Last Thursday's finals opener, won by the Pacers on Tyrese Haliburton's jumper with 0.3 seconds left, peaked at 11 million viewers around the game-winning shot and averaged 8.91 million viewers. Sunday's game saw a peak of 9.9 million viewers.

Over the first two games, the viewership average (8.84 million) decreased at least 24 percent from the past three finals.

"Now the goal is to get to three games," Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Tuesday, a workout day at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. "It's first team to three. Kind of like it's a blank slate, a scratch -- 1-1, 0-0, and it's first to three."

Gilgeous-Alexander drove the Thunder to victory in Game 2 after Tyrese Haliburton's heart-stopping floater ended Game 1, his fourth game-winner of these playoffs. The MVP has 72 points through two games, the most ever in the first two games of a Finals debut.

Haliburton limped through parts of Sunday's loss, with Oklahoma City pressuring him with multiple defenders and trying to force the ball to Pascal Siakam or Indiana's other offensive players.

Haliburton said Tuesday he does have a "lower body thing" impacting him but plans to be on the floor when Indiana hosts an NBA Finals game for the first time since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, going for his second NBA title as a head coach, has constantly reminded his young team not to unpack any of the good, bad or ugly from the first two games of the series as they embrace the home-floor opportunity.

"Everything that's already happened doesn't matter, other than the score of the series," Carlisle said. "We have to move forward."

The Pacers led for 0.3 seconds in Game 1 and a total of 1 minute, 56 seconds of a possible 96 minutes in the first two games of the series.

They're looking for a boost from being at home and answers for slowing down Gilgeous-Alexander, who grasps the notion he might see a new mix of defensive looks from the Pacers with two off days since Oklahoma City claimed a 123-107 win Sunday night.

"A series is so tricky. It definitely is a feeling-out," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "But there's also so many adjustments made to where it's almost hard to predict and try to determine what they're going to do with you. You kind of just have to be ready for everything and just try to be as sharp as you can. That's how I kind of see it."

The Pacers overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Game 1 to steal one in Oklahoma City (111-110).

Getting to the rim has been a tall order for Indiana. The Pacers have been outscored by 20 points in the paint. Resolve has been a major trait helping define the team's success, and they're 4-0 in the playoffs following a loss.

To take control of the Finals, Carlisle is stressing the importance of tamping down turnovers without losing contact with the accelerator. Haliburton tied his playoff high with five in Game 2 and entered the fourth quarter with just five points.

"You try to address those things as best as we can. Tyrese has been historically great with ball security," Carlisle said. "This team that we're playing now presents unprecedented challenges because they've been turning everybody over through the entire playoffs. We're going to have to have really great spatial awareness with everything that we're doing. You can't play too careful against Oklahoma or otherwise you'll never get a basket."

Oklahoma City's defensive approach is likely to be similar in Game 2 until the Pacers prove they can handle the on-ball energy. How Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault executes his plan is quite literally anyone's guess.

He used more than 700 lineup combinations during the regular season, more than any team in the league, and found unique groups to gain an edge on the boards in Game 2.

"We have a group of guys that are just ready to play," Thunder guard Jalen Williams said. "Everybody is kind of waiting for their opportunity. We have so many different lineups throughout the course of the year that nobody is shocked by when Mark wants to go small, change this around or do that."

Daigneault doesn't take credit for throwing a changeup or two and isn't worried about being predictable. The only advantage he wants the Thunder to have at the end of the game is more possessions than the opponent. From his vantage point, that's the path to a 2-1 series lead on Wednesday.

"The general battle we're trying to win is the possession battle. There's different ways to do that," Daigneault said. "In the first game, we were able to win it with turnovers, which tends to be the way we can win it when we're smaller. In the second game, we obviously rebounded better in those units, which is an advantage when we're bigger.

"We have optionality. Every game is different."

The series stays in Indiana for Game 4 on Friday night before Game 5 shifts to Oklahoma City on Monday. If necessary, Game 6 is June 19 (Thursday) in Indianapolis.

"It's like our sixth man," Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard said of playing at home. "Brings us energy, keeps us together. It's going to be exciting."

The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.

"I don't think you're going to hear him making a big deal out of it," Carlisle said Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse of Haliburton's status as the Finals stage was being set in Indiana for the first time since 2000.

"This is the time of year where it just doesn't get any better than this. The atmosphere, the interest, the opportunity, coming back and being at home. I mean, there's just so much to be excited about. We've got a couple guys that are slightly under the weather; I don't think anything is going to keep these guys from playing in the game."

Haliburton delivered the dagger jumpshot to sink the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home court in Game 1 and win 111-110. Carlisle said Haliburton was "feeling it" during Game 2, when he was dogged by a physical defensive rotation, turned the ball over five times -- more than any game in the previous series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks -- and is 5-of-15 from 3-point range in the first two games of the Finals.

Haliburton described his injury as a "lower leg thing" and referred to it as a non-factor.

"I'll leave it at that. I don't think there's anything more to elaborate. I feel fine and I'll be ready to go for Game 3," Haliburton, 25, said.

In 73 regular-season games, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 9.2 assists.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday night in Indianapolis.

The Pacers are even with the Oklahoma City Thunder at 1-all in the best-of-seven Finals as the series rolls into Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday night.

"We got one. Get to go home and play in front of our fans at Gainbridge," Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith said. "They've been waiting for this for 25 years, so it's exciting to go back and see what the atmosphere will be like."

The Pacers swiped the opening game of the series and went into the second with a 7-0 record in Games 1 and 2 this postseason before the 123-107 loss that evened the Finals.

While Oklahoma City squandered a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter in Game 1, the Thunder defense was relentless in Game 2. Indiana has only 38 points in the paint in two games, an area Pascal Siakam believes the Pacers must address to reclaim the series lead.

"They swarm a lot. They do a good job of that. I mean, yeah, they use their hands a lot," Siakam said. "I mean, we are not going to get into fouls or no fouls but whatever. I think they are just being aggressive, and we've got to be stronger with the ball. We can't let that speed us up. We've still got to play under control ... that's what we've got to find a way to do."

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 36 points in the Finals and had 34 points and eight assists for the Thunder in Game 2. Gilgeous-Alexander has 72 points in his first two Finals games, one better than the previous best ever two-game debut by Allen Iverson (71).

"I'm being myself. I don't think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far," he said. "Now, I would trade the points for two Ws, for sure. But this is where our feet are. This is where we are. You can't go back in the past, you can only make the future better. That's what I'm focused on."

However, the team also said that Garland would "resume basketball activities by the start of training camp," which generally begins in late September.

Garland, 25, was plagued with the sprained toe down the stretch of the regular season. He only played in five of the Cavaliers' nine playoff games. The Cavs lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Garland earned his second All-Star nod in 2024-25, averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 assists in 75 starts, leading the Cavs to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Garland averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 assists in 382 career games (378 starts) over his six seasons with the Cavaliers, who selected him No. 5 overall in the 2019 draft.

The Hawks are also close to hiring Philadelphia 76ers executive Peter Dinwiddie to be their new senior VP of strategy and analytics, per the report.

Graham and Dinwiddie would report to new Hawks GM Onsi Saleh.

Graham was promoted to Pelicans GM in June 2024 after five seasons as assistant GM. Graham joined the Pelicans in the 2010-11 season as a basketball operations intern.

The Pelicans fired David Griffin as president of basketball operations and replaced him with Joe Dumars in April.

Also in April, Atlanta fired GM Landry Fields and promoted Saleh to fill the position.

Nelson played 14 NBA seasons from 1962-76, ranks second in NBA history with 1,335 regular-season coaching victories over 31 seasons and guided his teams to 18 playoff appearances before retiring in 2010. He held the victories record until Gregg Popovich passed him in 2022.

Those accomplishments helped the 85-year-old get presented with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night in Oklahoma City. The award is given out by the National Basketball Coaches Association.

"History has already reflected Don Nelson's staggering contributions as a cutting-edge innovator and visionary of the NBA game," Indiana Pacers coach and NBCA president Rick Carlisle said in a news release. "Back in the '80s and '90s, he made teams adjust to historic pace, liberal 3-point shooting, inverted offense and disruptive defensive schemes. All this while establishing himself as one of the most compelling personalities in all of professional sports."

Nelson had more than the award on his mind. One of his former teams, the Dallas Mavericks, made the highly criticized move of Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the trading deadline.

The trade upset Nelson and he picked his footwear to honor Doncic, who nearly single-handedly led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.

"As a matter of fact, I want everybody to know I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market," Nelson said during a press conference before Game 2 of the NBA Finals. "I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. Tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that."

Nelson said his philosophy on star players was something that was developed during his playing career. He won five NBA titles while watching how Hall of Famer Red Auerbach put together and kept together the star-studded Boston Celtics, who were led by five-time MVP Bill Russell and 13-time All-Star John Havlicek.

"His philosophy was when you have a great player -- Bill Russell, Havlicek, Sam Jones, you name 'em -- you don't lose that player," Nelson said. "You keep him for a lifetime. You put his number up, and you honor that player. That's been my philosophy."

Nelson coached the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors for 11 seasons apiece. After a 59-game stint with the New York Knicks in which he was fired in 1995-96, Nelson was coach and general manager of the Mavericks from 1997-2005. He later coached the Warriors for another four seasons.

Accolades aside, Nelson was honored to earn an honor named after the late Daly, who won back-to-back NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1988-89 and 1989-90.

"Chuck was an absolute genius in all facets of the game and life," Nelson said. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to coach against him, learn from him and benefit from his knowledge. To say that I'm deeply touched to receive an award that bears his name would be an understatement. This is special."

The Thunder evened the series 1-1 heading into Wednesday's Game 3 in Indianapolis.

Gilgeous-Alexander added eight assists and five rebounds and went 11 of 12 from the free-throw line.

After letting a 15-point fourth-quarter leap slip away in Game 1, Oklahoma City didn't give the Pacers such an opening this time around.

The Thunder took the lead for good late in the first quarter, and early in the second quarter stretched their lead to 23 with a 19-2 run -- fueled by both their defense and Gilgeous-Alexander's finishes on the other end.

To that point, Oklahoma City's defense hadn't forced many turnovers and it hadn't take advantage of the few it had caused.

But during that big run in the second quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander scored seven of Oklahoma City's last nine points -- all off Pacers' turnovers.

Indiana quickly answered with a 10-0 run for a 52-39 score but never got closer than that 13-point deficit.

After scoring just 11 points on 25 Pacers' turnovers in Game 1, the Thunder scored 14 off 15 Indiana turnovers in Game 2.

While Gilgeous-Alexander still led the way, the Thunder also showcased their offensive depth more.

In Game 1, Jalen WIlliams and Chet Holmgren combined to go just 8 of 28 from the floor, with Holmgren going just 2-for-9 with six points.

Holmgren looked much more settled early on in Game 2, hitting five consecutive shots after missing his first of the game.

While William wasn't overly efficient, scoring 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting, he did go 8-for-9 at the free-throw line and added five assists.

Holmgren finished with 15 points while Alex Caruso added 20 and Aaron Wiggins 18 off the bench.

Tyrese Haliburton, who hit the game-winning shot in Game 1, led the Pacers with 17 points -- 12 in the fourth quarter.

But by that time, the game was well in hand for Oklahoma City.

Indiana had won the first two games in each of the first three rounds.

Oklahoma City has yet to lose back-to-back games in the playoffs.

The Mavericks, owners of the top overall selection, plan to work out no players other than Flagg, the heavy favorite to be the first player selected in the June 25 draft.

The organization has been public about its intention to select Flagg with the top choice.

Dallas won the lottery in an upset last month. With just a 1.8 percent chance of landing the top pick, Dallas jumped 10 spots to become the team with the fourth-longest odds in history to win the lottery.

The Orlando Magic (1.52 percent) in 1993 had the lowest chance, followed by the 2008 Chicago Bulls and the 2014 Cleveland Cavaliers, who won with odds of just 1.7 percent.

Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward, won the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's best player in his single college season at Duke last year. The Maine product averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.1 percent from the field for the 35-4 Blue Devils.

Per the reports, Wright and Knicks president Leon Rose -- who are close -- had a discussion about the coaching vacancy but a formal interview was not scheduled.

Following their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday after just one season at the helm.

At Villanova, Wright coached current Knicks Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, who were all members of the program's 2016 national championship team.

After 21 seasons at Villanova, Wright retired in 2022 and became a college basketball analyst for CBS and TNT. He compiled a 520-197 record at the school.

Commenting on social media regarding the reports that Wright would not be coaching the Knicks, Hart jokingly posted, "Man Thank You. Stay retired!"

Per ESPN, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is among the candidates who have been on the Knicks' radar since Thibodeau's dismissal.

After a solid rookie season, Edey was injured in an offseason workout earlier this week.

"After consulting with the Grizzlies and multiple specialists, we decided this is the best approach for Zach long-term as it gets him back to 100 percent with no limitations," Edey's agent Mark Bartelstein said, via ESPN. "He will make a full recovery and be back better than ever,"

The Grizzlies selected the 7-foot-4 center with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a phenomenal college career at Purdue. He was named the Naismith College Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat since Ralph Sampson (1982-83).

As a rookie, Edey proved to be a pivotal presence for the playoff-bound Grizzlies, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across only 21.5 minutes per game. He started 55 games.

In the first round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Edey was productive in Game 4, recording eight points, eight rebounds, and seven blocks. He was the first rookie ever to record those minimums in a playoff game while playing 33 minute or less.

So, have the Indiana Pacers.

The teams meet in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday in Oklahoma City after the Pacers pulled off a stunner in Game 1.

Indiana opened the series with a 111-110 victory Thursday, when Tyrese Haliburton's last-second shot put the Pacers ahead for the first time in the game.

The Thunder dropped the first game of their second-round series against Denver in similar, heartbreaking fashion on Aaron Gordon's late shot. Oklahoma City stormed back to win Game 2 by 43 points.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in Game 1, the third-most for a player in his NBA Finals debut.

But Gilgeous-Alexander said the first game -- both good and bad -- was in the rear-view mirror.

"I let the game go as soon as I learn the lessons from it, as soon as I watch film. I take what I need to take from it, and we do as a group," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "After that, I let it go, because the lessons are learned. There's nothing else you can do. The team has the same demeanor."

Each time the Thunder have lost in these playoffs, they have come back to win the next game.

The average margin of victory in those rebound victories is 20.5 points per game, though one was decided by two points and another by five.

Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games just twice during the regular season.

"The playoffs take you to the limit," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They put your back against the wall -- in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we've had is understanding that every game's a new game. The most important of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome."

The Pacers have won their first game in each round.

Each time, Indiana has come back to win a tight Game 2.

In the last two rounds, the Pacers won the first two games of their series on the road as they have become accustomed to thriving in the underdog role.

"That's been our thing the whole year, even at the beginning of the playoffs," Indiana's Obi Toppin said. "Everybody got the other team winning every single game. We just go out there and always do what we do."

Haliburton said the Pacers have drawn motivation from last season's playoff run, where they beat the Bucks and Knicks in the first two rounds before they were swept by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

"You come into the year with all the talk around how it was a fluke," Haliburton said. "You have an unsuccessful first couple months and now it's easy to for everyone to clown you and talk about you in a negative way, and I think as a group we take everything personal. ... I feel like that's the DNA of this group."

Oklahoma City forced 25 turnovers in Game 1 -- 20 in the first half -- but scored just 11 points off those turnovers, helping open the door for Indiana's comeback from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

"We can't turn the ball over that much," Haliburton said. "We have to do a better job of being in gaps, rebounding, all over the floor."