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NBA playoffs: MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC Thunder to dominant Game 2 win over Minnesota Timberwolves

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A day after being crowned NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to open up a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander was presented with the Michael Jorden Trophy ahead of Game 2 on Thursday, before putting up 38 points – tying his career playoff high – eight assists and three steals to put the Thunder in the driving seat in this series.

The 26-year-old has now scored at least 30 points in five straight playoff games.

“It felt really good,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of putting in that performance after receiving the award. “I feel like my emotions were so high that I was a little bit tired out there, especially at the start. I was a little too juiced up.

“A special moment. I’m happy we won so I can really enjoy the last couple of days and soak it all up. That really helps. Shout out to the team. We played well again tonight and head to Minnesota up 2-0.”

“Early, I just wanted to lean on my teammates,” he added. “I thought about coming out and forcing the first couple of shots, but I was like: ‘Nah, that’s probably not the way to go. I wanted to just let the game come to me, lean on my teammates, play through them, play off them.”

Thursday’s win again showcased the depth OKC boasts behind Gilgeous-Alexander, with Jalen Williams continuing his rapid rise to stardom with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Chet Holmgren had one of his best games of this postseason, adding 22 points and four rebounds.

The game was a relatively close affair until the Thunder – as they did in Game 1 – used a third-quarter blitz to blow the T-Wolves away. This time it was a 14-2 run that helped Oklahoma City take complete control, eventually pushing the lead to as much as 24.

The Timberwolves closed the gap to 10 in the fourth, but the Thunder kept them quite comfortably at arm’s length.

OKC takes a commanding 2-0 series lead to Minnesota on Saturday.

Anthony Edwards doubled his shot attempts for the Timberwolves after saying he needed to shoot more following Game 1, posting 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Jaden McDaniels added 22 points for the Timberwolves, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker – Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin – had 17 off the bench.

Julius Randle, who was quickly earning the ‘Playoff Julius’ moniker, had his first poor performance of the postseason, scoring just six points on 2-of-11 shooting.

“I thought again we didn’t close the half very well,” Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said. “I thought if we close the half better, then we don’t put outselves on such a razor’s edge in the third.

“We only had six turnovers at halftime. We had a few more in the third quarter, missed some shots, didn’t finish at the basket and that led to to a bunch of stuff, an early attack mode for them.

“Every minute in this series is a chance to find something,” Finch added. “So we’re going to go back home as a good team at home, so we’re going to fight for Game 3. Heads up, look at the tape and get ready for Game 3.”

Game 3 is on Saturday in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves have lost just one of their last 10 games and are 4-1 this postseason.



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Magnus Carlsen slams table in frustration after shock loss to Gukesh Dommaraju in ‘turnaround of the year’

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Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist on the table in frustration after suffering a shock loss to defending classical chess world champion Gukesh Dommaraju at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament on Sunday.

Nineteen-year-old Gukesh pounced on a rare mistake from Carlsen at Finansparken in Stavanger, Norway, to seal the 3-0 victory and secure his first classical victory over the five-time world champion.

When Carlsen was forced to concede, the 34-year-old slammed his hand on the table in a surprise burst of emotion before shaking Gukesh’s hand and leaving the venue quickly, skipping his media duties.

The outburst caused a stunned reaction from the commentators with Carlsen usually known for his calm demeanor.

Carlsen admitted afterwards that he was left confused by his Indian opponent’s tactics.

“I don’t completely understand what (Gukesh’s) concept is here. It seems to me that I just have excellent play,” Carlsen said afterwards.

For Gukesh, who became the youngest-ever world chess champion last year, it was a momentous victory and one which he didn’t think would come.

“99 out of 100 times, I would lose. Just a lucky day!” Gukesh said afterwards.

“First classical win against Magnus, I mean, not the way I wanted it to be, but OK, I’ll take it.”

British grandmaster David Howell called Gukesh’s victory the “turnaround of the year” given the nature of the comeback.

He also praised the end of the game too. “Focus. Brilliance. Raw passion, anger, shock.
Elation. Sportsmanship. This moment had it all,” Howell wrote on X.

Carlsen still remains atop the Norway Chess standings despite the loss with four rounds of games left to play, with Gukesh moving up to third.

The tournament has a total prize fund of approximately $148,000, with the winner taking home almost $62,000.



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Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina

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Iga Świątek came from a set and a break down against Elena Rybakina to extend her winning run at the French Open, prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday.

Three-time defending champion Świątek has now recorded 25 consecutive main draw wins at Roland-Garros, with Chris Evert the only woman in the Open Era to have more on 29.

She was made to work hard for it against former world No. 3 Rybakina, who battled hard to cause a huge upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Having raced into a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set in just 35 minutes, Rybakina won the first eight points of the second set to put her in full control of the fourth-round contest.

But Świątek rallied in the second part of the match, edging out Rybakina in a tight deciding set to continue her hunt for a sixth grand slam title and fifth at the French Open.

Świątek celebrates match point against Elena Rybakina.

“I was feeling pretty bad (at the start of the match), so I was kind of accepting that I can lose it,” Świątek later told reporters. “But it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway.”

The world No. 5 will next play 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian beat last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Sunday.

Having won in straight sets across the opening three rounds of the tournament, Świątek faced her first real test of this year’s French Open against Rybakina. She saved 10 break points over the course of the match, only edging in front in the final stages of the deciding set.

It was a gutsy, rather than an accomplished, victory for the Polish star. She made an uncharacteristic seven double faults during the match, including three in one game in the second set.

But in the context of her title defense, this sort of victory might feel more significant than the many routine wins she has had in Paris.

“I think I needed that kind of win … That I’m able to win under pressure, and even if it’s not going the right way, still turn the match around to win it,” Świątek said.

“For sure, it’s a great confirmation for me. Obviously, it’s great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it’s not always going to be possible. I’m happy that I fought and also problem-solved on court.”

Another defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, also overcame a challenging opponent to reach the quarterfinals, defeating American 13th seed Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Alcaraz is looking to win a fifth major at the French Open.

Alcaraz had to save three set points to avoid handing Shelton the early lead, and he then faced six break points in the first game of the second set, only to survive and get a break of his own at 4-3.

Although Shelton had a glimmer of hope when he took the third set, the Spaniard hit back in the fourth, once again demonstrating his supremacy on clay to secure his 100th victory on the surface.

Coming into the tournament off the back of wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz is looking to capture his fifth grand slam title and second at the French Open. On Tuesday, he faces American Tommy Paul for a spot in the final four.



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NBA playoffs: Indiana Pacers eliminate New York Knicks to advance to first NBA Finals in 25 years

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The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 125-108 to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals in six games and advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 2000.

It was another hard fought battle between two teams with a storied past that was a tight game until the Pacers pulled away in the final quarter. Just like most of the playoffs, the duo of Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton led the way for Indiana, finishing with 31 points and 21 points respectively.

It was Siakam’s third game this series with at least 25 points which garnered him the Larry Bird Trophy – awarded to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

“It’s been such an amazing experience for me so far,” Siakam told the TNT Sports broadcast about his time in Indy. “From the first day I landed here like the love has been amazing. … First class organization. I’m just so happy to be here. I mean tonight, after a bad Game 5, we wanted to bounce back, I have like 100% belief in my teammates. Whenever we are down, we always find a way.”

The game also marked a historic moment for the broadcast; the Pacers victory was the last game in the long-standing relationship between the NBA and TNT. While “Inside the NBA” will continue on ESPN, the NBA on TNT ended at the culmination of the Eastern Conference finals.

Both teams kept it close in the first half, trading baskets despite the Knicks’ turnover issues that plagued them the whole game.

It was a quick 9-0 run from three consecutive 3-pointers to open the third quarter that made the difference for a fast-paced Pacers squad.

From there, the crowd on hand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which featured WNBA star Caitlin Clark, roared the Pacers to the very end.

Lexie Hull and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever attend Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Haliburton said he was “really proud” of the way his team played.

“We had a tough showing last game as a group so we wanted to respond. We did a great job at that,” Haliburton told the TNT Sports broadcast.

“I don’t even have words. It’s really exciting. We will enjoy this one for now and theres a lot more work to do against a really tough team. Just really proud of this group.”

It was a tough night for the Knicks All-Star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Brunson added 19 points.

New York struggled with the pestering Indiana defense, leading to 17 turnovers as a team. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard had a game-high six steals.

Despite the Knicks appearing to inch their way back into the game multiple times, Indiana proved to be too much to handle as New York’s attempt to become the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit fell painfully short.

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks, who haven’t won a title since 1973, let alone advance to the Finals since 1999, again were eliminated by a team they consider one of their greatest rivals.

The two teams met in the playoffs eight times in their histories including six in eight years between 1993-2000. Last year, Indiana defeated New York in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, setting an NBA record for the best field goal percentage ever in an NBA game, converting 67.1% of their shots.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to all the adversity the team faced this season with injuries and late additions to the rotation when asked how they can take the next step and get to a Finals.

“I’m proud of what these guys did,” Thibodeau told reporters. “There was a lot that we had to get through and I thought we handled that part well. … A lot of moving parts but they kept fighting and moving forward. And I’ve got great respect for that.”

The 28-year-old Brunson didn’t mince his words about another loss to the Pacers, saying it “sucked” but expressed the confidence in how the team will rebound in the future.

“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously. There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group,” Brunson said.

Towns added that the moves the Knicks have made were to “win.”

“It hurts not to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope to – the plan now is to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”

The Pacers face a tall task next, playing the NBA’s best regular season team – the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in their second-ever Finals appearance – which starts on Thursday at the Paycom Center.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.



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