The Pelicans controlled their own destiny on the final night of the regular season and defeated the defending champion Spurs to clinch the eighth playoff spot ahead of a surging Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, but New Orleans has its work cut out for it in the franchise’s first playoff appearance. MORE: Pelicans save coach, GM’s jobs | 8 teams that could win title | Buy playoff tickets Golden State leads the NBA in scoring, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage....

While Derrick Rose and the Bulls were unable to close out the Bucks, the Warriors did finish their sweep of the Pelicans behind another stellar performance from Stephen Curry. Like Milwaukee, Brooklyn got its first playoff victory — beating Atlanta — and the Grizzlies got one step closer to a sweep of the Trail Blazers. Here’s a deeper look into Saturday’s games: Nets 91, Hawks 83 (Atlanta leads series 2-1)...

Boston beat Indiana 110-106 in Game 4 behind a balanced scoring attack. Gordon Hayward appears to be hitting his stride at the right time, as he posted a team-high 20 points in the contest. Six other players reached double-figures. Bojan Bogdanovic’s 22 points led the way for Indiana but only one player shot better than 50 percent from the field in the loss. Boston will likely play the Bucks, who are one game away from sweeping the Pistons, in the second round....

Then it was the Nuggets. First, Toronto easily took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals from the 76ers behind a career-best postseason performance from Kawhi Leonard. Leonard finished with 45 points and 11 rebounds in the team’s 108-95 win Saturday. Pascal Siakam chipped in 29 points to be the only other Raptor in double-digits. The two carried the load and had 49 of the team’s 61 first-half points....

Here’s a look at some of the under-the-radar aspects of the 2019-20 season from rotations you might not think about to potential Sixth Man of the Year contenders. Under-the-radar teams, rotations, players TEAMS Utah Jazz — OK, they’re only “under-the-radar” to anyone who doesn’t pay attention to the entire NBA, because the Jazz have been to the playoffs each of the last three years after finishing fifth in the stacked Western Conference each season....

The no-call in question came with the game tied at 105 with 4.1 seconds remaining in regulation. On LeBron James’ drive for the potential game-winning layup, Jayson Tatum initiated contact with James’ arm, which resulted in a miss. While the contact could be seen and heard, no foul was called and Boston ultimately won the game in overtime. The fallout from the controversial no-call included James’ on-court reaction and postgame criticism, with critical comments also coming from Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham, among others....

Leonard has been reported to be favoring a trade to the Lakers, but the Spurs hold most of the negotiating power in this deal. There are plenty of options for Leonard, and whenever something like this happens, fans are always eager to hop on ESPN’s Trade Machine and make deals. KAWHI LEONARD TRADE? Players, fans react to Spurs star wanting out If you aren’t aware, the Trade Machine, per ESPN’s own description, “will let you know if your trade works based on the NBA’s trade rules....

The tremendous grouping of Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker doesn’t get the same hype or media attention as the other two high-profile trios, but they can beat most teams any night. MORE: Best NBA free agents who will actually be available this offseason Thursday, Leonard scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Spurs to a 109-101 win against the Bulls. Aldridge added 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker scored 20 points and dished out 12 assists....

When the LVH opened NBA win totals on Oct. 1, the Thunder were posted at 50.5 wins, an expected sharp decline from the 60 wins they tallied last season. Reports at the time said Westbrook would miss four to six weeks of the regular season. Westbrook is recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee he suffered in OKC’s first-round playoff series against the Rockets last season. “The morning (of Oct....

At the time, giving up Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the No. 11 pick in the 2016 NBA draft (which became the promising Domantas Sabonis) was an extreme overpay for a guy coming off his least productive season since his rookie year in many aspects. Did Magic GM Rob Hennigan really need to yield that lottery pick, along with a high-upside starter in Oladipo and a solid stretch-four in Ilyasova (who’s been big for Philly this year)?...

Chicago sent a 2020 second-round pick — which will be the higher of either the Bulls’ or the Grizzlies’ selections — to Washington for the point guard and also agreed to the rights to swap 2022 second-round picks and remove the protection on a 2023 second-round pick owed to the Wizards after a previous trade. Satoransky signed a three-year deal worth $30 million with the Bulls, according to ESPN....

The Cavs shipped off disgruntled All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick late Wednesday. It’s a nice haul, to say the least. Despite receiving the best player in the trade, typically a tell-tale sign of who won a trade, many believe Boston lost the trade. MORE: Ranking 25 best NBA stars to change teams in their primes...

MORE: NBA stars set to play against their old teams in ‘16-17 SOURCE: Darren Wolfson, KSTP Radio, Minneapolis. DETAILS: After drafting Kris Dunn out of Providence in the lottery this year, the Timberwolves may be interested in attaining assets for point guard Rubio. The Spain international, who is currently playing at the Olympics in Rio, would be a good replacement for Rajon Rondo, who left Sacramento for the Chicago Bulls....

League sources tell Sporting News that Kidd wants to get either the Suns job or the Knicks job. Both could open at season’s end. Jay Triano replaced Earl Watson after three games in Phoenix, but only on an interim basis. In New York, Jeff Hornacek will probably finish out the season, but he now reports to two men who didn’t hire him: general manager Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills....

The Pacers are examining the trade market for their All-Star forward, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. While this presents a change in Indiana’s thinking, the Pacers are still trying to bolster the current roster in order to help George and give him more incentive to sign a long-term extension. The Pacers have gone so far as to dangle a first-round pick for an established wing or big man....

The 7-0 center, who once scored 91 points in a game in Europe, will be required to sit out 30 percent of NC State’s 2016-17 schedule, a total of the first nine regular season games. Yurtseven will also be required to pay $1,000 to a charity of his choice, according to a release. Yurtseven had a professional contract offer with a European club, prompting the NCAA to review whether he could retain his amateur status....

The organization passed Proposal 2015-52, which allows schools to pay for up to two parents or guardians of a recruit during official visits, ESPN.com reported. 2016 PREVIEW: Irish | Tide | Bears | Buckeyes | Sooners The rule goes into effect Aug. 1, 2016. According to the NCAA’s Division I Council report, the proposal was passed 14-1. The Sun Belt was the only conference to vote against it. Prior to the rule, schools can only pay for a prospect’s accommodations....

Instead, it has doubled down. Star tailback Todd Gurley was suspended indefinitely by Georgia on Thursday for a “violation of NCAA rules” — a violation that, according to Fox Sports, is connected to selling his name and/or likeness to autograph brokers. So once again we’ve come to the fork in the road where the NCAA won’t veer, where its archaic philosophy of — I can’t believe I’m still writing this — owning the name and likeness of student-athletes in perpetuity is as strong as ever....

MORE: Gurley suspended | 15 Heisman contenders derailed by suspension | UGA-Mizzou betting preview Star tailback Todd Gurley was suspended indefinitely by Georgia on Thursday for a “violation of NCAA rules” — a violation that, according to Fox Sports, is connected to selling his name and/or likeness to autograph brokers. So once again we’ve come to the fork in the road where the NCAA won’t veer, where its archaic philosophy of — I can’t believe I’m still writing this — owning the name and likeness of student-athletes in perpetuity is as strong as ever....