F-C Al Horford recorded 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds in Wednesday's 123-101 victory over Washington that gave the Celtics a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference best-of-seven semifinal series.

G John Wall scored 21 points in Wednesday's 123-101 loss in Boston that left Washington in a 3-2 hole in their Eastern Conference best-of-seven semifinal series.

Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas was fined $25,000 by the NBA for "directing inappropriate language" toward a fan during Game 4 against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on Sunday.The league made the announcement on Wednesday prior to the teams tipping off for Game 5 in Boston. The Eastern Conference second-round series is tied at two victories apiece.Sunday's altercation was posted on Instagram by a fan at the Verizon Center. In the video, Thomas can be seen directing a profane remark at the fan in question.Thomas pointed at the fan and responded with, "I will (expletive) you up, and you know that."

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard expects to play in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night despite a left ankle injury.Leonard rolled his ankle with 5:37 left in the third quarter on Tuesday night and played half of the fourth period but did not take the court for overtime of the Spurs' 110-107 home win to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series."Yeah, I'm going to be able to play," Leonard said after the game. "It was frustrating because I wanted to play. But I was happy seeing my teammates out there putting in a good effort and getting the win."Leonard suffered the injury when he came down on the foot of Houston's James Harden while turning to run up the court. Leonard limped back to the bench during the next stoppage in play and re-entered the game but did not score after a layup with 1:59 to play in the third quarter.The 25-year-old Leonard still led the Spurs with 22 points and 15 rebounds. He is averaging 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds... [More]

C Dwight Howard was pulled over for speeding and fined for driving without insurance before the Hawks' Game 6 loss to Wizards on April 28. Howard, a 31-year-old Atlanta native, was stopped by police on I-285 in Dunwoody, Ga. at 2:06 a.m. ET on April 28 after he was clocked going 95 mph in a 65 mph zone. He received a verbal warning for speeding and for driving with a suspended registration, but was fined for the insurance infraction. Police also had Howard's vehicle towed. Howard had nine points and seven rebounds in Game 6.

F Kawhi Leonard suffered a left ankle injury during Tuesday's 110-107 victory over Houston that gave San Antonio a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal series. Leonard rolled his ankle midway through the third quarter when he stepped on James Harden's foot as he turned to move into transition defense. Leonard played half of the fourth quarter but didn't score after a layup with 1:59 to play in the third quarter. Leonard still led the Spurs with 22 points and 15 rebounds. "Everybody pulled together and played some good defense without Kawhi being out there," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "The competitiveness was just off the charts. We're obviously thrilled with the victory -- either team could have won the game down the stretch."

G Manu Ginobili blocked a potential game-tying 3-point attempt by James Harden in the final second of Tuesday's 110-107 overtime victory over Houston that gave San Antonio a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal series. Ginobili also contributed 12 points.

G-F Danny Green scored 16 points, including San Antonio's final seven, in Tuesday's 110-107 overtime victory over Houston that gave San Antonio a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal series. "We all made the decision just to be aggressive," Green said. "We weren't going to lose the game being on our heels. We wanted to continue to attack and pressure and be aggressive on the defensive end without fouling -- to try to be smart. Offensively, we just kept the mindset that if we're open, just let it fly."

G James Harden recorded his first triple-double of the series with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but committed nine turnovers in Tuesday's 110-107 overtime loss in San Antonio that put Houston in a 3-2 hole in their Western Conference best-of-7 semifinal series. Harden had a chance to tie the game, but his 3-point try was blocked from behind by Manu Ginobili. "I just missed too many shots," said Harden, who was 11 of 24 from the floor and 4 of 15 from 3-point range. "We couldn't get in a rhythm at the end of the game or in the overtime. We had an opportunity to win this game and take a lead back home and we let it slip away. But we will be ready on Thursday."

The Toronto Raptors are about to head in a different direction after a disappointing playoff showing.Team president Masai Ujiri made it clear an overhaul is coming when he said "we need a culture reset here," while speaking to reporters in his season-ending news conference on Tuesday.Toronto was dispatched in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, one year after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals."We need to figure out how we can win in the playoffs," Ujiri said. "That's the goal."The Raptors have participated in the playoffs in four consecutive seasons under coach Dwane Casey and behind the stellar backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.The stakes were at their highest this season when Toronto was primed to battle the Cavaliers after winning two games against Cleveland in last season's conference finals.Yet the Raptors saw their regular-season victory count drop from 56 to 51 to finish third in the Eastern Conference.And the playoff push never came. Toronto... [More]

It appears the frayed relationship between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may not be irreparable after all.Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of Durant and Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder, said he played peacemaker leading to a phone call between the two former co-stars after Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson's triple-double record."I think the night that Russ actually broke the record, I had texted (Durant). The next day, he was talking about something and he sent me a text and was like, 'Me and Russ had a nice conversation.' The media don't even know nothing about it, but I just let it be known that they're back on talking terms, the differences are aside," Perkins said on TNT's "Area 21" show hosted by Kevin Garnett on Monday night.Durant spent eight seasons alongside Westbrook with the Thunder before leaving to join the Golden State Warriors on a two-year deal worth over $54 million. Durant can opt out after this season.Perkins added that he would not be surprised if Durant... [More]

Atlanta Hawks star Dwight Howard was pulled over for speeding and ticketed for driving without insurance hours before his team was eliminated by the Washington Wizards in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.Howard, a 31-year-old Atlanta native, was stopped by police on I-285 in Dunwoody, Ga. at 2:06 a.m. ET on April 28 after he was clocked going 95 mph in a 65 mph zone, per a police report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.The 6-foot-11 center received a verbal warning for speeding and for driving with a suspended registration, but was fined for the insurance infraction. Police also had Howard's vehicle -- a 2016 Audi Rs7 -- towed.When told of the infractions, Howard appeared confused and told the officer that he had insurance, but could not present proof of insurance, according to the Journal-Constitution.Howard's car was being followed by a black SUV, which police later determined was his personal security detail.Howard had nine points and seven rebounds in the Hawks' 115-99 loss in Game 6 to the Wizards, who advanced the face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Howard averaged eight points and 10.7 boards for the series.The eight-time All-Star just completed the first season of the three-year, $70.5 million contract he signed with Atlanta last summer.

C JaVale McGee averaged just 2.7 points in Golden State's previous three games against Utah, but he contributed 12 in the clincher on Monday.

G George Hill missed his third consecutive game with a left big toe sprain as the Jazz saw their season end with a loss to the Warriors on Monday.

C Rudy Gobert chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Jazz's season-ending, 121-95 loss to the Warriors on Monday. "We didn't want it to end that way, but I'm excited about our future and the way this team's getting better every year," he said.

F Gordon Hayward scored 25 points in the Jazz's season-ending, 121-95 loss to the Warriors on Monday. He made just 8 of 21 shots from the floor.

G Shelvin Mack scored 18 points in the Jazz's season-ending, 121-95 loss to the Warriors on Monday.

F Draymond Green collected his first postseason triple-double of the year, 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Monday in a rout at Utah."Guys really came out focused," Green said after the Warriors completed a sweep of the Jazz. "We knew what the game plan was and executed that game plan. Everybody was on a string, starting these games out. I think the most important thing, though, is we imposed our will on the game. We had the game at our pace."

F Kevin Durant had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Golden State completed a sweep of Utah with a 121-95 win Monday.

G Klay Thompson scored 21 points, and Golden State completed a sweep of Utah with a 121-95 win Monday. Thompson hit 9 of 16 shots from the floor.