Indiana coach Rick Carlisle offered an impassioned and somewhat unprompted defense of referee Scott Foster on Sunday, evidently aware of the mountains of online criticism that came after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Contrary to popular belief not everything was easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Oklahoma City went back to the lineup it used throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs on Friday night, returning Isaiah Hartenstein to the starting five for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Indiana.

For the Indiana Pacers, a chance at being perfect in Games 1 and 2 of these playoffs went awry.

The Thunder didn’t even exist in Oklahoma City when the 1995 bombing happened; the franchise that had been known as the Seattle SuperSonics didn’t relocate to America’s heartland until more than a decade later.

Tom Thibodeau’s firing brought back some of the confusion and chaos the New York Knicks had seemingly left behind.

Oklahoma City spent most of the regular season alone atop the Western Conference standings and just kept adding to its lead.

The Oklahoma City Thunder set an NBA playoff record for first-half points with 87 against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder looked very much like the dominant teams they were during the regular season in securing lopsided first-round playoff series wins.

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-103 in a matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference standings.

Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 123-114.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their franchise-record 13th consecutive regular-season game, 116-98 over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced they have signed Alex Caruso to a multi-year extension.

Everyone has a lucky number in Las Vegas.

When the Milwaukee Bucks clinched their spot in the NBA Cup championship game, plenty of the team’s younger and lesser-paid players were exuberant in the locker room.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup quarterfinal.

Fred VanVleet had a season-high 38 points and Dillon Brooks made a go-ahead jump shot late to help the Houston Rockets to a 119-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night.

Josh Hart made a go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 24.4 seconds left, and the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A team spokesman says the Philadelphia 76ers plan to file a grievance related to the officiating during their series against the New York Knicks.

Donte DiVincenzo made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining after a desperate scramble, and the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-101 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Joel Embiid returned for the start of the second half after leaving Game 1 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round series against the New York Knicks when he appeared to reinjure his surgically repaired left knee after a powerful dunk.

Jalen Brunson scored 42 points, becoming the fourth player in franchise history with 40 or more in consecutive games, and the New York Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings 98-91 on Saturday night.

Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 22 and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics easily handled the New York Knicks 116-102 for their eighth consecutive victory.

Jalen Brunson scored 40 points and shook off an apparent eye injury to make the go-ahead basket with 1:46 remaining as the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 109-105 for their ninth straight victory.

Victor Wembanyama’s first game at Madison Square Garden was one of the worst of his young career, as the No. 1 draft pick managed just one basket in the first three quarters of the New York Knicks’ 126-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Jalen Green ended his rookie season on a strong note, and his efforts got recognized in a big way on Monday.

Reggie Jackson scored 26 points, including three key points down the stretch, to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 99-98 win over the Houston Rockets Sunday night.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 27 points and Luke Kennard added 25 as the Los Angeles Clippers sped to a 17-point lead in the first half and cruised to a 142-111 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Luke Kennard scored seven points inside the final 9 seconds, including a go-ahead four-point play with 1.9 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 35-point first-half deficit to stun the Washington Wizards 116-115.

Brandon Boston Jr. had career highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers, sparking the Los Angeles Clippers to a 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics.

(AP Photo/Ron Schwane)DENVER – The Denver Nuggets are bringing back center JaVale McGee in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The 33-year-old McGee averaged eight points and 5.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game for the Cavs this season. AdA three-time NBA champion with Golden State and Los Angeles, McGee brings plenty of playoff experience to the Nuggets. McGee has been invaluable to the Cavs this season, serving not only as a backup but mentor to the team’s young core. Ad___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports