The Suns and Warriors have found their groove and are looking down at the standings, while the Heat and Bulls have weathered a ton of injuries to sit at the top of the East, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for everyone. From championship contenders in the Lakers, Nets and Jazz to the playoff hopefuls in the Knicks, Hornets and Pelicans, is it time to panic just yet? Let’s break out the panic meter to weigh in on each team’s outlook for the remainder of the season....

The 2022 edition of the Play-In Tournament may not have a matchup as juicy as Warriors vs. Lakers, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters on April 6 that he is “very pleased” with how the event has increased the level of competitiveness around the league. He believes the Play-In Tournament will remain a consistent part of the NBA schedule for years to come. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)...

Yes, the 2019-20 regular season is upon us, and with it comes another set of player rankings. There has been significant movement since last year’s version, including a new No. 1 overall player. Sporting News has narrowed the list down to the top 15 stars in the league, making this a club reserved exclusively for the best of the best. Let’s dive into the rankings, starting with the reigning NBA Finals MVP…...

Making the playoffs would mean something slightly different for the squads still in contention. The Spurs are trying to extend their postseason streak to 23 years. The Trail Blazers are trying not to squander another year of Damian Lillard’s prime. The Grizzlies are trying to gain valuable experience for their young core. The Suns want to end a 10-year drought. This should be one of the more dramatic ends to a season in recent memory — though the Orlando bubble setting will remove the home court hoopla typically associated with tense NBA basketball....

OKLAHOMA CITY — Mike Miller scored 21 points and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-99 in a record fourth straight overtime game Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. Oklahoma City rebounded a missed 3-point attempt by Miller and called a timeout, trailing 100-99 with 2.9 seconds remaining. Kevin Durant of the Thunder missed a long 3-point attempt and teammate Serge Ibaka tipped the ball in on the rebound....

Now that we’ve tipped our caps to Dylan Thomas, let’s get back to the NBA playoffs. James Harden and the Rockets kicked off Tuesday night’s slate of games by eliminating the Thunder in a 105-99 win. (Thanks to Russ for making the 2016-17 season a ton of fun.) As for the other series, the Spurs and Jazz both gained 3-2 leads in key Game 5 matchups. The Jazz will travel back home to Utah for Game 6 while the Spurs head to Memphis in the hopes of closing things out and meeting Houston in the second round....

As we joined the lads in Atlanta, Shaq was choking on, we presume, water; Ernie had left his anchor post to give aid; and Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were trying to read the TelePrompter (spoiler: Chuck couldn’t keep up with the Prompter): MORE: NBA scores, schedules, live updates Naturally, it was all caught on tape; every cough and . . . belch. Once Shaq gave the all-clear, everyone could laugh about it....

Maybe his rejection of Victor Oladipo’s layup attempt in the closing seconds of Pacers-Cavaliers Game 5 was instead goaltending that officials missed. That’s Oladipo’s impression, anyway. NBA PLAYOFFS: Are Cavs beyond saving? Not if LeBron can help it “Hit the backboard. Then he blocked it,” Oladipo told reporters postgame, per Cleveland.com. “Replays, I guess you guys can see, it was a tough play at the time for him, but, it was a goaltend....

Golden State pulled out a 114-111 win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday in a back-and-forth Game 2 at Oracle Arena. The victory gave the Warriors a 2-0 series lead. The Trail Blazers outplayed Golden State and held a 15-point advantage heading into halftime. But, the Warriors worked their way back into the game by opening the third quarter on a 16-4 run and erased an eight-point deficit with a little less than 4:30 to play in the final period....

The Trail Blazers star, who has been playing through a separated rib on his left side against the Warriors in the Western Conference finals, told reporters Sunday he feels “fine.” “I don’t think it’s something that’s affecting my game,” Lillard told reporters. “Not really (limiting), just the pain from having a separated rib. There’s nothing you can really do about it. Just when I get winded, it’s a little harder to breathe....

Toronto topped Milwaukee 120-102 on Tuesday to knot the series up at 2-2 and it got help from everywhere. Six Raptors were double-digit scorers. Kyle Lowry led the way with 25 points while Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka were essential bench contributors. Kawhi Leonard still showcased his authority in the paint despite battling an apparent leg injury. He was also able to lean on the support of his teammates....

The Bucks topped the Celtics 123-102 in Game 2 behind the efforts of an energized Giannis Antetokounmpo. The star totaled a game-high 29 points, along with 10 rebounds, in Milwaukee’s victory, and even brought out a shimmy celebration after a made 3-pointer. The Celtics’ scoring was surprisingly led by Marcus Morris, who scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Celtics will have an opportunity to surge ahead when the series shifts to Boston, with Game 3 set for Friday....

Even Lin responded to the video (shown below) that advocated increased player safety and called for the NBA to review their stance on flagrant foul calls. PHOTOS: Jeremy Lin’s journey | SN FEATURE: Lin looking for comfort Following just over 10 days of backlash from fans contacting the NBA, the league office released the following statement on Friday about the video and the fouls, or lack thereof, called against Lin: After reviewing our extensive officiating database, we have found no data that suggests Jeremy Lin is disadvantaged by our officiating staff....

Whew. MORE: Knicks under a Phil effect? | Larry Brown: Keep Mike Woodson | Melo key reason Woodson yet to be fired Jackson is close to signing a deal to become president of basketball operations for the Knicks, who have been in utter disarray for most of the season. When the deal is finalized, it's well within the realm of possibility he cleans house. That would put Woodson out of a job....

“We are not actively taking steps to bring a franchise to Europe or to expand to Europe,” Silver said in a London press conference. “It’s something that we’ve looked at over the years. It just doesn’t feel like the time is ripe right now, especially given what’s going on with the Euroleague and FIBA. “We think the best place for the NBA right now is to showcase an NBA game here in London, to play our preseason games here, and to work on a grassroots level to develop the game....

Once that dust settled, the team also added Rajon Rondo, who re-joins the franchise after donning the purple and gold from 2018-2020, and later signed DeAndre Jordan, who is entering his 14th NBA season. That’s a lot of big names, but a lot of the talk surrounding the Lakers following all of those additions is that they’re now quite old. LeBron already fired back at people calling them old in a since deleted tweet, but, well, Los Angeles is now home to five of the league’s 10 oldest players....

The NBA season will resume on July 31 in Orlando, Florida. On Thursday teams voted 29-1 in favor of a proposal for the season to resume at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. Only 22 of the 30 NBA franchises will travel to Florida, where 88 of the 259 regular-season games that were still to play when the season was interrupted will be played out....

Tucker will sit out Wednesday night's home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tucker was ejected after the altercation. The elbowing occurred as the two fell to the floor entangled while going for a rebound with 5½ minutes to go in the game.

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) The Nets have made it clear that they will not be entertaining any offers for their All-Star guard as per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 76ers have been in hot pursuit of Harden, hoping to reunite him with Daryl Morey, and have an All-Star of their own they could dangle as trade bait in Ben Simmons. There was even talk that the Sixers would be prepared to hang on to Simmons until the summer to make a deal with the Nets in return for the 2018 NBA MVP....

The Cavaliers are expected to trade or release Porter following the 20-year-old’s recent locker room outburst, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, Joe Vardon, Kelsey Russo and Shams Charania. Porter reportedly began yelling and at one point threw food after he entered the locker room Friday and learned the team had given his old locker to Taurean Prince, who was acquired by Cleveland as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade....