Basketball Wiretap

The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the NBA Draft on June 23, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The team is operating as if it will receive an extra first-round pick in addition to the current No. 10 pick. 

The Bucks also prefer waiting until after the NBA Finals to trade Antetokounmpo as they want to see if the Knicks blow a 2-0 Finals lead and re-enter trade discussions.

The Heat are said to be on top of Antetokounmpo's list of destinations, though the Celtics are also in play.

The Bucks are looking to include the Blazers in any multi-team deal to reacquire draft capital from the Damian Lillard trade before the 2023-24 season. 

LeBron James prefers to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The Warriors also remain interested in adding James to their core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. The team could offer the possibility of James commuting from Los Angeles to some degree. 

Both destinations would almost certainly require James to take a pay cut from his $52.6 million deal from last season.

The Cavs are unlikely to be in play for James due to financial constraints and the requirement of James moving out of Los Angeles.

James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists last year. 

Victor Wembanyama delivered 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists Monday night as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, cutting New York's series lead to 2-1 and snapping the Knicks' 13-game postseason winning streak.

The victory gave the Spurs their first Finals win and handed the Knicks their first loss in 46 days, ending the second-longest winning streak in NBA playoff history. New York's previous defeat came April 23 against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the first round.

"At home, it really feels like playing six against five. Here, it feels like five against six," said Wembanyama. "It really shows what teams are made of."

San Antonio jumped out to a double-digit lead within five minutes, making nine of its first 11 shots and leading 33-22 after the first quarter. The Knicks rallied to take a 64-57 halftime advantage, but the Spurs regained control in the third quarter. Stephon Castle's three-pointer with 1:53 remaining put San Antonio ahead 111-104, and his two free throws with 6.8 seconds left sealed the outcome. Castle finished with 23 points. De'Aaron Fox also hit key shots down the stretch.

Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and OG Anunoby added 28 for New York. Karl-Anthony Towns was held to 11 points and Mikal Bridges was hampered by foul trouble.

"I tell the guys, it's a seven-game series for a reason," said Knicks coach Mike Brown. "They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It's not going to be easy."

Brown also expressed frustration over San Antonio's 24-8 free throw attempt advantage in the second half.

The result kept the Spurs alive in their bid to become the first team in NBA history to win the Finals after dropping the opening two games at home. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, with Game 5 set for Saturday in San Antonio.

"I'm sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. "I don't think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance."

Victor Wembanyama posted 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists Monday as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, trimming New York's series advantage to 2-1.

The Knicks' Polymarket championship probability fell from 78 percent to 63 percent following the defeat. New York had surged to 80 percent after Game 2, up from 53 percent after Game 1. San Antonio entered the series as a 64 percent favorite against New York's 36 percent.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32 points, while OG Anunoby contributed 28. 

The loss ended New York's 13-game postseason win streak, the second-longest in NBA playoff history. The Knicks had not lost since April 23, a first-round defeat to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3.

Stephon Castle finished with 23 points and hit two decisive free throws with 6.8 seconds remaining to seal the victory. De'Aaron Fox also delivered late, helping San Antonio avoid a 3-0 deficit from which no NBA team has ever recovered in any playoff series.

For Finals MVP, Brunson remains the favorite at nearly 49 percent with Wembanyama improving from 22 percent to 38 percent.

Game 4 is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks favored by 1.5 points.

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Portland Trail Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori are among the finalists for the Chicago Bulls head coach position, sources told Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Candidates are meeting the Bulls for in-person interviews this week.

Current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. is also a finalist, with Unseld possibly remaining on the staff should they hire an outside candidate.

Nori and Splitter are also finalists for the Blazers head coach job. 

The Charlotte Hornets are expected to make Miles Bridges available in trade discussions, sources told Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The team discussed deals for Bridges at the trade deadline, though there could be a wider market now as Bridges is entering the final year of his deal worth $22.8 million.

The 28-year-old averaged 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds last season. 

Victor Wembanyama will not receive a flagrant foul for shoving Jalen Brunson in Game 3 of the San Antonio Spurs' win over the New York Knicks.

Wembanyama will remain at two flagrant foul points, with an automatic suspension coming at the four point mark.

No foul was called on the play, which occurred at the 4:44 mark in the first quarter.

NBA senior vice president of referee development and training Monty McCutchen admitted that a foul should have been called on Wembanyama.

Long-time NBA forward Trey Lyles moved abroad last season with Real Madrid in Spain. After a strong season, including a EuroLeague run, Lyles is looking to head back to the NBA.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.5 points on 49/42/78 shooting in 74 games across all competitions last season. Lyles had a big game in the EuroLeague final, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the first half.

Real Madrid has reportedly begun looking for replacements for Lyles, in anticipation of a move back to the NBA. Even if not opportunities materialize for Lyles, he's likely to receive bigger offers than Real Madrid will be able to match.

Victor Wembanyama said deliberate mental recovery between games helped fuel his performance in San Antonio's 115-111 Game 3 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday, cutting the NBA Finals deficit to 2-1.

"I really tried to relax. The playoffs, it's like a whirlwind," said Wembanyama, who finished with a game-high-tying 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. "It's hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes, I don't even have time to watch the games back right away. I need some time off to let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind."

Wembanyama pursued that reset by visiting Gramercy Park before the game, where he sketched a statue of Edwin Booth. "Not bad, pretty good," he said of the drawing.

Mitch Johnson credited sharper offensive execution as the key adjustment from the Spurs' two previous losses.

"We made some strides in terms of the ball movement and playing with our teammates, setting screens, trusting the basketball would find the right guy for our shot," said Johnson. "We showed better poise at times. We finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the last few games.

"We were in attack mode, but also as a collective group, it showed itself in terms of something would happen, whether it was an initial action or a guy trying to get to the paint. If they didn't have a clear advantage, they were looking for their teammates. Because we were doing that throughout the night, it was much clearer for teammates to expect where the ball was going and when it was going to get to them, and then what to do with it when it got to them."

San Antonio distributed 28 assists and had six players score in double figures. Stephon Castle added 23 points, five rebounds and five assists alongside Wembanyama, making them the first pair of teammates age 22 or younger to each score 20 or more points in a Finals game.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 16.43 million viewers on ABC.

It is the largest audience for a Game 2 of the NBA Finals since the Cavs-Warriors in 2018.

The Knicks' win peaked at 19.42 million viewers.

It was also the third largest NBA audience since 2019, behind Wednesday's Game 1 and last year's Game 7.