Golden State’s 119-117 overtime win in Game 4 on Monday completed it’s sweep of Portland in the Western Conference finals, and Stephen Curry was spectacular. Curry led the way for the Warriors, tallying a team high 37, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the contest. He knocked down some impressive long-range shots to keep his team in the game, including a deep 3-pointer before the half. He played the entire game following the break and didn’t commit a single foul....

Through Monday, 26 of 31 NBA playoff games on national TV have had declines in viewership compared to last year. Keep in mind that excludes Sunday’s Game 4 doubleheader on ABC, for which final numbers were not immediately available. From Friday to Monday, each of the 12 playoff games on cable (ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and NBA TV) declined , with all-but-one of those down by double-digits. The poorest performers should be no surprise....

On Tuesday, prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said they would not file criminal charges against Rusten Sheskey, a white officer who shot Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back during an Aug. 23 confrontation that was caught on video. The Blake shooting last summer sparked a three-day boycott by the NBA during its playoffs, and also boycotts by the WNBA and Major League Baseball. Though the Wisconsin prosecutor made its announcement Tuesday, all five NBA games played on with no interruptions that evening....

Let’s dive right into the standings and see where each team lands ahead of the 2019 NBA playoffs. OFFSEASON PREVIEWS:Lakers | Knicks | Bulls | Pelicans | Mavericks (Standings are current as of April 11. The Bulls, Cavs, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Knicks, Wizards, Grizzlies, Kings, Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Suns and Timberwolves have been eliminated from playoff contention.) NBA standings: Eastern Conference *clinched playoff berth **clinched division ***clinched conference NBA standings: Western Conference *clinched playoff berth **clinched division ***clinched conference...

In fact, one league executive said, “It seems like they are going to keep him.” Despite a 20-33 record, Cleveland is considered a buyer at Thursday's deadline, because the team is eager to make a playoff push in the frightful Eastern Conference. Waiters has been offered for veteran help, the hope being that more experience in the locker room will help ease some of the Cavs' chemistry problems. MORE: Melo wants Knicks to consult with him | All-Star Game photo gallery...

That could change Thursday. Plenty of notable players have drawn interest recently — Lonzo Ball, John Collins, Aaron Gordon, Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo fall into that group — and the pressure of the 3 p.m. ET cutoff could finally force front offices to make moves. Which contenders will find valuable contributors for the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs? Which sinking teams will emerge as sellers?...

The Knicks have tried to part ways with Anthony several times in the last couple of seasons, but they’ve reportedly struggled to find a reasonable return for him given the two years and $54.2 million remaining on his contract. It doesn’t help that Anthony is one of two players currently in the NBA who have a no-trade clause, meaning he would have to sign off on any potential trade....

Boston has “checked in recently” with the Rockets about a potential deal for center Clint Capela, according to a report from SNY. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has made “all players and picks” available this offseason, according to an earlier report from ESPN. It is highly unlikely the team moves star James Harden, though, that report notes. Capela averaged 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game for the Rockets last season....

Toronto’s got a hole in the roster at power forward, and it needs to be filled. And as the trade deadline approaches, it needs to be filled quickly. That was evident in Sunday night’s brutal loss to the Pistons, which saw the Raptors drop a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and fall to 32-23, just a half-game ahead of Atlanta for fourth place in the East. It was the Raptors’ 10th loss in their past 14 games, and afterward both Lowry and DeRozan hinted that the team needed to make changes....

“Boogie” is arguably the NBA’s best center, but the Kings haven’t won more than 33 games in a season since his arrival in 2010. His attitude problems are well documented, but so is his dominance in the paint. With just one more season until Cousins is likely to walk, the Kings are running out of time for find a trade partner, which is easier said than done. MORE: Award predictions: The MVP race gets messy...

MORE: 25 best NBA stars to change teams in their primes After the additions of Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple and Anthony Tolliver, the Kings are actively seeking to move veteran forward Rudy Gay as well as big man Kosta Koufos and shooting guard Ben McLemore, according to ESPN. Gay, who will likely elect for free agency after next season, averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 34 percent from deep this past year....

ESPN first reported Portland would send Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard to Miami in exchange for the veteran big man, a deal that clears salary cap space for the Heat while cementing the Blazers’ status as a team on the rise in the Western Conference. The move comes a day after Rodney Hood reportedly agreed to stay in Portland on a new two-year, $16 million deal, and a week after the Blazers acquired Kent Bazemore from Atlanta for Evan Turner on the heels of selecting Nassir Little in the NBA Draft....

He’s been after Jimmy Butler, one of his former (and favorite) players, since last year’s draft. Thibodeau struck out on his pursuit then, but on Thursday night, he got his man: The Wolves completed a deal for Butler that sends Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and the No. 7 pick (Lauri Markkanen) to Chicago for Butler. The Wolves got the No. 16 pick from Chicago, and used it on center Justin Patton....

In the third quarter of Los Angeles’ Game 5 victory against the Mavericks — and with his team already holding a sizable lead — Morris stepped on the sprained left ankle of Luka Doncic, igniting Twitter tirades in the process. Here are multiple angles of the incident in question, which came just after the start of the second half and with the Clippers holding an 81-52 lead. INJURY UPDATE: Damian Lillard out for Game 5 with right knee sprain...

On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Rockets had tabled an offer for Harden to sign the maximum allowable extension, which would pay the 2018 regular season MVP $103 million over two years, on top of the $133 million Harden is still scheduled to make over the remaining three years of his current deal. The eight-time All Star is due to make $40.8 million and $43.8 million over the next two seasons, with a player option for the 2022-23 season at $46....

In Brooklyn’s Game 3 loss to the Bucks, Brown took two of the final three shots for the Nets. He missed them both and that contributed to Brooklyn’s 86-83 defeat. When Brown took his first shot, a mid-range 15-footer, the Nets were up one point with 20.3 seconds left in the game. When he shot his next one, a layup attempt, they were down one point with about six seconds left....

7 p.m. ET, ESPN Line: Virginia -12 Total: 130 MORE: College hoops live odds | ATS standings Last 10: NC State 3-7 (6-4 ATS) Virginia 8-2 (5-5 ATS) Effective FG percentage: NC State 48.1 (246th), Virginia 54.9 (21th) EFG% against: NC State 49.3 (153rd), Virginia 48.4 (110th) Analysis: NC State is 4-0 ATS in its last four games overall and 4-0 ATS in its last four road games. NC State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games vs....

The NCAA announced Thursday night that it has asked Northern California U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to dismiss two suits that were filed in March. Wilken ruled this summer against the NCAA in the O’Bannon case that challenged rules prohibiting college athletes from being compensated for their names, images and likenesses One of the suits the NCAA is seeking to dismiss was filed in New Jersey by attorney Jeffrey Kessler on behalf of four athletes, including former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins....

Best storyline: Yes, Indiana and Kentucky, once among college basketball’s more compelling border rivalries, could very well play again in the second round. The joy of that is it would become one of the most riveting games of the season. The shame of it is it will occur at least one round too soon and will rob the field of a team that could legitimately win the NCAA championship with four more rounds still to play....

Beard’s contract was approved by UNLV’s board of regents on a Friday and he was on his way to a new job at Texas Tech six days later, owing nothing to the Runnin’ Rebels program but the $900,000 buyout clause he invoked in his contract by leaving. MORE: Ranking the best transfers of all time But the story is not about Beard. It’s about who he left behind — the players....