Things rarely happen in the NBA at 8:57 a.m. on a Sunday.

Moments before Jimmy Butler was handed a Golden State Warriors jersey for the first time, he made clear what his motivation is going forward.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been fined $100,000 by the NBA but avoided a suspension for what the league described as “throwing multiple objects in the direction of a game official during live play.”.

South Sudan and Japan are going to the Olympics.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota into the playoffs.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have suspended center Rudy Gobert for their play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State is in the playoffs.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in the second quarter against New Orleans.

Julius Randle scored 57 points, matching the third-highest total by a New York Knicks player, during a 140-134 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 29 points in the third quarter, Rudy Gobert added 22 points and 21 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves extended the Los Angeles Lakers’ winless start with a 111-102 win.

The NBA’s youngest team to reach a conference semifinal in the past 25 years has wasted little time turning disappointment into motivation.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Klay Thompson had 21 and nine rebounds and the Golden State Warriors shut down Ja Morant’s supporting cast to embarrass the Memphis Grizzlies 142-112 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

Karl-Anthony Towns rebounded from two rough games with a career playoff-best 33 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves pull out a 119-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Desmond Bane made seven 3-pointers and had 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 on Thursday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Ja Morant scored 34 points, his sixth straight game of at least 30 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies built an early lead in a 115-95 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Luka Doncic had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in his 40th career triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks used a second-half rally to rout Memphis 112-85 and end the Grizzlies’ winning streak at 11 games.

Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the top-seeded Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

Doc Rivers can’t fathom criticism of Ben Simmons, especially after the three-time All-Star became just the sixth player in NBA history to have at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff game.

Dillon Brooks had 31 points and seven rebounds and the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies beat the top-seeded Utah Jazz 112-109 in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Ja Morant made consecutive jumpers in the final 48 seconds of overtime and scored 35 points, Memphis had an answer for every Stephen Curry flurry, and the Grizzlies are headed back to the playoffs for the first time in four years after holding off the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in a thrilling play-in game.

Dillon Brooks scored eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help put Memphis ahead to stay and the Grizzlies eliminated the San Antonio Spurs 100-96 on Wednesday night in the first Western Conference play-in game.

Nikola Jokic scored 47 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the second overtime, and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 139-137.

Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat reacts against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at American Airlines Arena on March 11, 2021 in Miami, Florida. MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Ja Morant dribbled the length of the court for a tiebreaking layup with 1.2 seconds left and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Miami Heat 89-85 to end a three-game skid. Memphis’ Kyle Anderson intercepted the inbound pass after Morant’s basket, was fouled and made two free throws to end Miami’s winning streak at five. Morant, Anderson and De’Anthony Melton each scored 13 points, and Melton also had 10 rebounds and six assists. Jimmy Butler was questionable to play after twisting his left ankle late in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland but led the Heat with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting.

James played within the offense for the first three quarters, then became more aggressive to start the fourth, scoring the Lakers first 10 points of the period. Montrezl Harrell added 16 points and nine rebounds to help the Lakers win their third straight. Kyle Anderson led Memphis with 18 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Grizzlies: Due to local COVID-19 restrictions, the game was played with no general tickets sold. …Rookie Xavier Tillman playing in his first game, scored his first NBA points in the opening quarter.

Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan, left, defends against a shot by Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK – Ja Morant exited with a sprained ankle but the Memphis Grizzlies earned their first victory of the season without him, outlasting the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 116-111 in overtime Monday night. Morant rejoined his teammates on the bench in the second half with his foot in a walking boot. Kyle Anderson scored a career-high 28 points and Dillon Brooks added 24 for the Grizzlies, who had dropped their first two games. The Nets opened a six-game homestand, their longest since playing six straight games at Barclays Center during the 2015-16 season.