DALLAS — As Andrew Wiggins took off from just inside the free throw line, as his body met Luka Doncic‘s in the air, as his head reached above the cylinder, the Golden State Warriors forward said he saw just one thing: “I just saw rim.”

His poster on the Dallas Mavericks star was originally called as a charge, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr swiftly challenged it, and the decision was overturned.

Wiggins doesn’t know where that dunk ranks in his collection, but Stephen Curry say it’s the best he’s ever seen from his teammate. Klay Thompson said he looked like Dominique Wilkinson.

“That was impressive, I’m not going to lie,” Doncic said of the poster. “I saw the video again and I was like, ooh. That was pretty incredible. I wish I had those bunnies.”

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Wiggins had a postseason career-high 3 dunks against the Mavericks on Sunday night as his performance sparked a 109-100 win by the Warriors and gave them a commanding 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

“If you can come in and play good basketball, you can essentially put a team away tonight,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “Now, this team isn’t going to quit … but you can instill a lot of doubt with coming out and winning this game. And we knew that.”

Ask any NBA player and they’ll tell you the playoffs are different. The postseason has a different level of intensity and therefore requires a whole different level of play from individuals. Green elevates himself so much, that the term “Playoff Draymond,” has been coined for the way he performs.

Before this postseason run, Wiggins hadn’t had much experience in the playoffs. But through his 14 playoff games this year, he’s proven to have a playoff level of his own.

On Sunday, he finished with 27 points — 18 of which came in the restricted area — on 11-of-20 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins’ electrifying dunk on Luka Doncic earned high praise from his Warriors teammates — as well as the Mavs superstar himself, who remarked, “That was impressive, I’m not going to lie.” Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

“That’s a guy who has been criticized for being lackadaisical and the beat goes on, you’ve heard it all, yet, on the biggest stage he’s come through,” Green said. “It’s great to see, absolutely amazing to see him pick up his level of play.”

Wiggins started the season playing with this same level of assertiveness and aggression. It’s what earned him his first-ever All-Star appearance — and as a starter, at that. Coming out of the break, he hit a lull. But his teammates say that’s normal.

“He’s worked so hard to get to this point,” Thompson said. “We’ve just got to help him become a champion, and he will obviously help us. What he did tonight … that’s what we brought him on for. He is such a talented player. I’m so grateful we have him.”

Kerr said the Warriors wouldn’t be winning playoff games without Wiggins, particularly this series against the Mavericks. In Game 3, Wiggins held Doncic to 8-of-15 shooting. Wiggins has been the best primary defender on Doncic all postseason, holding him to 53% shooting — Doncic’s lowest field goal percentage so far these playoffs.

Heading into this series, the Warriors’ mindset for defending Doncic was understanding they probably couldn’t completely stop him, but just make sure everything he gets is earned, not given. That, and eliminate every other scoring option.

Doncic has now scored 40 points in two games, and yet Golden State leads the series 3-0. But, they have not started looking ahead to the Finals. The Warriors have been in this position too many times to look too far ahead.

“This team won’t lay it down,” Thompson said. “We are going to have to go take it. They are not going to give it to us. Just going to have to just play together, play as a unit. Strength in numbers, that’s been our mantra.”

Looking at the odds, the Warriors are now the favorites to win the NBA championship. Ask Thompson and he says he believed that to be true from the moment this season tipped off.

But the same can’t be said for everyone else, especially outside of the Warriors locker room. This season was viewed as a building year — integrating their core of Curry, Thompson and Green with their newfound talent of Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga.

But then Otto Porter Jr. emerged as their most reliable veteran. Kevon Looney became an iron man. And Wiggins shed his label as a “lazy” player to become an All-Star.

All of that has led the Warriors to find themselves in a position that this franchise — albeit not all the players — is very familiar with: one game away from the Finals. But, they won’t skip steps.

“Being one win away from the Finals means absolutely nothing,” Green said. “It means you have to win one more game and we have to make sure we come in with an even better focus than we did tonight, which was incredible. Closeout games are always the toughest. We have to come out and win the game, they are not going to give it to us.”

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DALLAS — As Andrew Wiggins took off from just inside the free throw line, as his body met Luka Doncic‘s in the air, as his head reached above the cylinder, the Golden State Warriors forward said he saw just one thing: “I just saw rim.”

His poster on the Dallas Mavericks star was originally called as a charge, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr swiftly challenged it, and the decision was overturned.

Wiggins doesn’t know where that dunk ranks in his collection, but Stephen Curry say it’s the best he’s ever seen from his teammate. Klay Thompson said he looked like Dominique Wilkinson.

“That was impressive, I’m not going to lie,” Doncic said of the poster. “I saw the video again and I was like, ooh. That was pretty incredible. I wish I had those bunnies.”

2 Related

Wiggins had a postseason career-high 3 dunks against the Mavericks on Sunday night as his performance sparked a 109-100 win by the Warriors and gave them a commanding 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

“If you can come in and play good basketball, you can essentially put a team away tonight,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “Now, this team isn’t going to quit … but you can instill a lot of doubt with coming out and winning this game. And we knew that.”

Ask any NBA player and they’ll tell you the playoffs are different. The postseason has a different level of intensity and therefore requires a whole different level of play from individuals. Green elevates himself so much, that the term “Playoff Draymond,” has been coined for the way he performs.

Before this postseason run, Wiggins hadn’t had much experience in the playoffs. But through his 14 playoff games this year, he’s proven to have a playoff level of his own.

On Sunday, he finished with 27 points — 18 of which came in the restricted area — on 11-of-20 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins’ electrifying dunk on Luka Doncic earned high praise from his Warriors teammates — as well as the Mavs superstar himself, who remarked, “That was impressive, I’m not going to lie.” Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

“That’s a guy who has been criticized for being lackadaisical and the beat goes on, you’ve heard it all, yet, on the biggest stage he’s come through,” Green said. “It’s great to see, absolutely amazing to see him pick up his level of play.”

Wiggins started the season playing with this same level of assertiveness and aggression. It’s what earned him his first-ever All-Star appearance — and as a starter, at that. Coming out of the break, he hit a lull. But his teammates say that’s normal.

“He’s worked so hard to get to this point,” Thompson said. “We’ve just got to help him become a champion, and he will obviously help us. What he did tonight … that’s what we brought him on for. He is such a talented player. I’m so grateful we have him.”

Kerr said the Warriors wouldn’t be winning playoff games without Wiggins, particularly this series against the Mavericks. In Game 3, Wiggins held Doncic to 8-of-15 shooting. Wiggins has been the best primary defender on Doncic all postseason, holding him to 53% shooting — Doncic’s lowest field goal percentage so far these playoffs.

Heading into this series, the Warriors’ mindset for defending Doncic was understanding they probably couldn’t completely stop him, but just make sure everything he gets is earned, not given. That, and eliminate every other scoring option.

Doncic has now scored 40 points in two games, and yet Golden State leads the series 3-0. But, they have not started looking ahead to the Finals. The Warriors have been in this position too many times to look too far ahead.

“This team won’t lay it down,” Thompson said. “We are going to have to go take it. They are not going to give it to us. Just going to have to just play together, play as a unit. Strength in numbers, that’s been our mantra.”

Looking at the odds, the Warriors are now the favorites to win the NBA championship. Ask Thompson and he says he believed that to be true from the moment this season tipped off.

But the same can’t be said for everyone else, especially outside of the Warriors locker room. This season was viewed as a building year — integrating their core of Curry, Thompson and Green with their newfound talent of Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga.

But then Otto Porter Jr. emerged as their most reliable veteran. Kevon Looney became an iron man. And Wiggins shed his label as a “lazy” player to become an All-Star.

All of that has led the Warriors to find themselves in a position that this franchise — albeit not all the players — is very familiar with: one game away from the Finals. But, they won’t skip steps.

“Being one win away from the Finals means absolutely nothing,” Green said. “It means you have to win one more game and we have to make sure we come in with an even better focus than we did tonight, which was incredible. Closeout games are always the toughest. We have to come out and win the game, they are not going to give it to us.”

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Struggling New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman said Sunday that he’s been dealing with an issue with his left Achilles.

Chapman allowed a tiebreaking home run to AJ Pollock in the ninth inning of New York’s 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of a doubleheader Sunday in the Bronx. The seven-time All-Star has now allowed runs in five straight appearances, the longest streak of his career.

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Speaking through an interpreter, Chapman said he’s been receiving treatment on the Achilles for a couple of weeks and that he’ll meet with the team’s athletic trainers to see if a trip to the injured list is necessary.

Asked how much it’s affected him, he added through the interpreter: “When you’re dealing with things, sometimes it can affect you, but at the end of the day it’s not the reason for the last results.

“Pretty simple, things have not worked out the way I would want.”

Chapman is now 0-2 on the season with nine saves and a 3.86 ERA.

“We’ve just got to continue to work to try and get him right, because when he gets synced up, delivery-wise and strike-throwing-wise, he’s still got the stuff that could be dominant,” manager Aaron Boone said.

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NEW YORK — Tim Anderson hit a three-run homer and then put a finger to his lips to silence fans booing and chanting “Jackie” at him, capping a tumultuous weekend at Yankee Stadium and helping the Chicago White Sox beat New York 5-0 Sunday night for a doubleheader sweep.

“What a day,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said.

A day after Anderson, who is Black, said he was offended by Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson, who is white, calling him “Jackie,” the All-Star shortstop didn’t play in the first game. AJ Pollock hit a tiebreaking homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning as the White Sox won 3-1.

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Anderson was jeered during pregame introductions and prior to each at-bat in the nightcap. He had already hit two singles when he homered over the right field wall with two outs in the eighth.

Anderson took a slow trot and put his hands to his lips in a shushing gesture as he rounded the bases. He clapped his hands several times upon crossing home plate and pointed skyward before again making a silencing motion.

After the game, Anderson declined all interview requests. Donaldson also did not speak to reporters. Through a Yankees spokesman, Donaldson said he had not talked to Major League Baseball about the situation and didn’t talk speak to Anderson on Sunday.

There didn’t appear to be any carryover on the field in either game of the previous afternoon’s anger and tension when the benches and bullpens emptied. Donaldson acknowledged Saturday he called Anderson “Jackie” — a reference to pioneering baseball icon Jackie Robinson — that elicited criticism from both managers.

Major League Baseball is investigating the incident.

White Sox starter Michael Kopech said he heard fans chanting “Jackie” at Anderson.

Before the five-run eighth, the story was about White Sox starter Kopech, who retired the first 17 batters he faced on just 60 pitches before Rob Brantly doubled to left field.

Kopech (1-1) allowed just the one hit and two walks while striking out six over seven innings.

Yankees starter Luis Severino scattered eight hits over seven scoreless innings. Jonathan Loaisiga (1-2) lost in relief.

Donaldson sat out the finale after going 0 for 4 but coming within a few feet of a much bigger day in the opener. With two on and two outs in the first, Donaldson lined out to third base, where Yoan Moncada — inserted into the lineup in place of Anderson — saved a run by snaring the ball at his shoe tops. In the fourth, Donaldson flied out to the wall in left field.

With two on and one out in the eighth, he flied out to the track in right-center.

White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal, who confronted Donaldson on Saturday, went out to talk to reliever Kendall Graveman as the Yankees third baseman approached the batter’s box. Donaldson stepped back out of the box as Grandal returned to the plate.

La Russa said Donaldson’s comment was “racist” following Saturday’s game, a 7-5 Yankees win. New York manager Aaron Boone said Sunday he believed Donaldson didn’t mean any harm with his words, but thought using such a term was “…somewhere he should not be going.”

Aaron Judge‘s eighth-inning homer off Graveman cost Johnny Cueto a win in the opener. The resurgent 36-year-old righty allowed six hits, walked two and struck out five in his second major league outing of the season.

Liam Hendriks, who used an expletive earlier Sunday to describe how he didn’t believe Donaldson’s explanation that he made the “Jackie” reference as part of an inside joke with Anderson, struck out two in a perfect ninth to preserve the win for Graveman (1-1).

Hendriks pumped his fist and yelled loud enough to be heard three levels away after whiffing Jose Trevino for his 13th save.

Yankees starter Jameson Taillon allowed one run on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in a season-high seven innings. Chapman (0-2) took the loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard recently declined a Los Angeles Lakers overture for the franchise’s coaching job, electing to remain at his alma mater, where Howard will coach his two sons next season, sources told ESPN.

The Lakers have a formal search process in place, but courting college coaches typically requires a different level of discretion. The Lakers have a finalist list of Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, sources said. The Lakers are expected to conduct in-person interviews in the near future.

The Lakers never made a formal offer to Howard, sources said, but it’s clear that if he had expressed an interest in the job, his candidacy would’ve moved quickly to that stage. While Howard has a playing history with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and star LeBron James, he has consistently maintained he plans to remain in Ann Arbor, where his sons Jace and Jett will be a junior and freshman, respectively, next season.

Howard interviewed for the Los Angeles job as a Miami Heat assistant coach in 2019, before accepting the head-coaching job at Michigan. Howard’s success in the college ranks — along with his r?sum? as a six-year Heat assistant and a two-time NBA champion as a player — has inspired significant interest in him among NBA teams.

Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens was interested in Howard for his coaching opening a year ago, but Howard declined that overture too, sources said. The Celtics hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka.

Like Howard, Ham is another ex-player with strong leadership, presence, winning experience and tactical understanding from past work with high-level head coaches. Ham is also a strong candidate for the Charlotte Hornets‘ head-coach opening, sources said. Ham worked with Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak as a Lakers assistant coach a decade ago.

Stotts and Atkinson both bring with them previous NBA head-coaching experience.

Stotts most recently coached the Blazers from 2012 to 2021 and reached the playoffs in his final eight consecutive seasons on the job — including two trips to the Western Conference semifinals and a berth in the conference finals in 2019. He is known for his offensive creativity and an ability to build relationships with his star players.

Atkinson built a reputation for player development as both an assistant and head coach in the NBA. He spent three-plus years as head coach of the Nets, whom he led to a playoff appearance in his third season in 2018-19.

Howard is 93-61 in three seasons at Michigan and was named national coach of the year in 2021. His time with the Wolverines has included top-five poll rankings in all three years, a Big Ten regular-season title and two trips to the NCAA tournament.

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Dallas Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock has been named the league’s 2021-22 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion, the NBA announced on Sunday.

Bullock becomes the second recipient of the award behind Carmelo Anthony, who won a season ago. Bullock was one of five finalists for the award along with Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.

Abdul-Jabbar announced Bullock as the winner in a video shown at Mavericks shootaround on Sunday morning.

Bullock has long been an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in memory of his sister Mia Henderson, a transgender woman who was killed in 2014. Bullock said her killing was “something that hit home for me and my family.”

“It definitely had me use my platform to stand up and do what’s right for her and my family,” Bullock said on the TNT broadcast prior to Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. “I got linked with all the right organizations and everything around to help me her name back to light and shed light on others to stop crazy things like this from happening in the world.”

Bullock has participated in and worked with the NYC Pride March, the GLAAD Media Awards and NBA events for LGBTQ+ youth and allies. When he joined the Mavericks in 2021, he started working with groups including Abounding Prosperity, Dallas Southern Pride, House of Rebirth, The Black-Tie Dinner, the Resource Center and the Muhlaysia Booker Foundation.

By being named the recipient, Bullock will receive $100,000 from the NBA for a social justice organization of his choosing. Bullock selected Kinston Teens as the recipient for the money. Kinston Teens, a group based in Bullock’s hometown of Kinston, North Carolina, is “a youth-led nonprofit organization with a mission of empowering young people through service, leadership and civic engagement,” according to the group’s website.

The other finalists will receive $25,000 each for contribution on their behalf to a social justice organization.

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