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The Indiana Pacers struggled to create separation against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half of Game 4 despite the Bucks being without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo due to injuries and Bobby Portis after he got ejected seven minutes into the game.

However, the third quarter saw them stretch out their lead as they turned up the pace and lit up the shorthanded Bucks, to push their lead from three to 13. As was the case in Game 3, Myles Turner played a big role in the Pacers third quarter run, as he hit some big shots, forced some big stops, and created the highlight of the night when he threw down an insane dunk on Brook Lopez.

It was a Blake Griffin-style throwdown, as Turner took off over Lopez and simply threw the ball through the rim despite having his momentum stopped by the Bucks big man. The dunk sent the Indiana crowd into a frenzy, with Turner hitting a three on the next possession to force a Milwaukee timeout as the building erupted. The Bucks would stem the tide a bit to end the third quarter, but they struggled to keep up with the Pacers tempo and Turner’s facial on Lopez was a shining example of the Pacers running the floor and creating problems for Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks came into Game 4 extremely shorthanded, as they would have to try and even their first round series with the Pacers without Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard, as their two superstars both dealt with lower leg injuries.

That meant the Bucks were desperate for some big contributions from their supporting cast, and one of the players they figured to lean heavily on to pick up some of the slack offensively was Bobby Portis. In the first seven minutes of action, Portis had 4 points and 3 rebounds as he was active early, clearly getting the message that he’d be more involved. However, Portis always plays with an edge and late in the first quarter, he let his intensity get the best of him in a scuffle with Andrew Nembhard after the two got tangled up on a box out.

Nembhard was hit with a technical for his part, while Portis was ejected for not only getting in the shoving match with Nembhard, but going a step further with the second grab/swing at the Pacers guard. The officials had already made it clear they wanted to keep the nonsense to a minimum in this game, handing out two early technicals to Pascal Siakam and Patrick Beverley for taunting, but Portis and Nembhard still got tangled and Portis left Milwaukee even more shorthanded by doing enough to get tossed.

Saturday night’s edition of Inside the NBA featured an all-time Charles Barkley roast, as the Hall of Famer had Shaq keeled over laughing as he torched the New Orleans Pelicans and the city of Galveston, Texas.

Chuck called out the Pelicans for quitting in Game 3 against the Thunder, and said they didn’t deserve a flight to Cancun and should instead drive down to Galveston to see “that dirty ass water.”

It really is some of Barkley’s funniest work in some time, and naturally it went viral and went far beyond just basketball fans. Among those who saw it was Beyonce’s mom, Tina Knowles, who was born in Galveston and got the clip sent to her by Jay-Z, issuing a funny response to Chuck on Instagram.

Barkley, being a wise man, issued an apology to Ms. Tina and asked for forgiveness from the Beyhive.

However, there was only so far he’s willing to go with an apology, and a trip to Galveston is not in the cards. He almost killed Shaq by saying he’d rather take a vacation to “San Antonio with them big ol’ women” than go to Galveston.

There is nothing guaranteed to get Shaq to lose it than a surprise joke about the women of San Antonio, and Chuck couldn’t resist dragging them into this with Galveston. The state of Texas, in general, seems to not be Barkley’s favorite and I doubt he’ll be taking any trips there any time soon on his own personal accord.

After winning Game 1 thanks to a dominant first half performance, the Clippers have struggled to find a rhythm in Games 2 and 3 against the Mavericks, as Dallas seized control of the series. It has been largely due to a tremendous defensive effort and timely buckets from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic that the Mavs took a 2-1 lead into Sunday, but Game 4 followed a similar script to the opener in what became a 116-111 Clippers win to even things back up.

The Clippers came out red-hot, with Paul George finally asserting his presence in the series as he was nothing short of unstoppable in the first half as L.A. led by 17 at the break — after taking a 31-point lead early in the second quarter.

George finished the first half with 26 points, and even had a little taunt for PJ Washington after his fifth (of six) threes in the opening 24 minutes. However, the Mavs chipped away at the Clippers advantage late in the second quarter and seemed to settle in going to the third quarter, with Kyrie Irving leading the way for the Dallas offense as they cut the deficit to just four going to the fourth.

The Clippers would briefly restore order, but Irving and Luka Doncic strung together a mid-fourth run that finally got them back on level pegging with L.A., fully erasing a 31-point deficit.

Down the stretch, we got a shot-making duel from both sides. James Harden hit three consecutive tough finishes to keep the Clippers ahead.

Kyrie answered with a mini 5-0 run of his own to give Dallas their first lead of the game, and send the crowd in the American Airlines Center into a frenzy.

However, that lead was short-lived as George, who was quiet in the second half, hit a preposterous stepback three from the corner to give Los Angeles the lead back for good.

The Clippers would ice the game at the free throw line and even the series at 2-2 going back to L.A. George and Harden combined for 66 points and went 11-of-15 from three-point range as they stepped up in a major way with Leonard out of the lineup. It seemed George was finally willing to be assertive with Kawhi not playing, as he tends to try and defer to his co-star, and that led to his best performance of the series (even with the quiet second half). Harden was masterful in the fourth, scoring 14 of his 33 and turning back the clock to get downhill and hit some tough finishes with the Clippers needed that kind of creation desperately.

For the Mavs, they just dug themselves too big of a hole early and had to expend a ton of energy to erase it. They deserve credit for battling all the way back, with Irving leading the way with 40 points and Doncic adding 29, but they looked to gas out a bit late and couldn’t quite complete an all-time comeback. Defensively, they took a step back from Games 2 and 3, and it would probably be wise if they try not to fall behind by 20+ in the first quarter of Game 5 if they want to reclaim the series lead.

The Clippers and Mavs are extremely familiar with each other, as this year marked the third time they’ve met in the first round of the playoffs in the last five years. That said, there are a number of new faces on both teams since they met last, but it hasn’t taken them long to ingrain themselves into the rivalry.

In Game 3, Russell Westbrook and PJ Washington got ejected after Westbrook lost his cool with a foul on Luka Doncic and then got in a little shoving match with Washington. The former Hornet has embraced the role of being some of the Mavs muscle to defend Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and struck a pose, folding his arms and staring down the Clippers bench to the delight of the Dallas crowd.

That image hasn’t been lost on the Clippers, who came out red-hot in Game 4, lighting up the Mavs in the first half even with Kawhi Leonard out. Leading the way was Paul George, who finally had a takeover moment in the series when he hit five threes in the first half, with the Clippers taking a 31-point lead at one point.

After that fifth three, which came with Washington flying by on a late closeout, George decided to troll the Mavs forward and return the favor with his arms crossed, staring him down.

This is just good stuff and what the playoffs is all about. Washington basked in his moment in Game 3 and George turned around and gave it right back to him in Game 4. Despite the 31-point advantage early, the Mavs quickly cut the lead down to 10 in the third quarter, and we might be in for more fireworks (and some light taunting) down the stretch in Game 4.

Taylor Swift has a long list of haters (including Courtney Love and Neil Tennant). However, the list of supporters is much longer. On April 25, the “Fortnight” singer became the first musician to have an album with one billion streams on Spotify. But now that record seems to be a mere drop in the bucket for Swift.

Today (April 28), the Billboard 200 rankings were revealed and at no surprise, Swift’s latest project topped the list. However, most were shocked to learn just how many records The Tortured Poets Department secured by doing so. According to the outlet, Swift as the artist with the most #1 albums on the Billboard 200 this century.

After learning the news, Swift took her official X (formerly Twitter) page to pen a response.

“What do you MEAN,” she wrote.

“My mind is blown,” she penned. “I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album.
2.6 million ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS?? Thank you for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed.”

Reviews of The Tortured Poets Department has been divided by fans and critics alike. However, in Uproxx‘s senior pop culture editor Josh Kurp‘s review, he encourages skeptics to dig beyond their “breakup album” assumptions.

“[The Tortured Poets Department] is an introspective mix of both of her styles: the confessional, ripped-from-the-diary lyrics of her older albums meets the character studies of folklore and evermore,” he wrote.

The Tortured Poets Department is out now via Republic. You can order it here.

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent All American episode will be found below.)

We’re nearing the halfway mark in season six of All American and tensions are still a bit high between Jordan and Spencer on the football team. In this week’s upcoming episode, Jordan has an honest moment with Spencer and says his selfishness is at an all-time high, an unusual characteristic for Spencer. Additionally, things aren’t exactly peachy between Spencer and Olivia, as a preview clip for episode five reveals. Here’s when you can watch the new episode:

When Will All American Season 6, Episode 5 Come Out?

The fifth episode of All American season three, titled “Trust Issues,” will arrive on April 29. The Kelli Williams-directed and Micah Cyrus-written episode will be available on Monday, 4/29 on the CW TV channel at 8pm EST/PST. The episode will later be available to stream on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT. A synopsis for “Trust Issues” can be found below:

After having some issues with a new game strategy on the field, Spencer diverts his attention to helping a South Crenshaw High player, who has been struggling with his own issues; Layla helps Jordan find a new roommate at the beach house.

You can also watch the trailer for All American season six, episode five below:

New episodes of ‘All American’ are available on CW TV on Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT and on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT.

The Houston Texans are looking to take another step forward after making one of the most remarkable one season turnarounds in recent memory in 2023. After going 3-13-1, Houston made a coaching change, bringing in DeMeco Ryans, adding CJ Stroud at quarterback and Will Anderson at defensive end in the Draft, and made a number of other roster additions that helped them win the AFC South and a Wild Card Playoff game.

After an active offseason bolstering that roster, most notably acquiring Stefon Diggs in a trade from the Bills and signing Danielle Hunter to play opposite Anderson on the defensive line, the Texans look like one of the AFC’s top threats to the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty. While not an offseason addition, they are also excited to be getting Tank Dell back in the lineup after he developed an incredible connection with Stroud as a rookie before suffering a broken leg that ended his season.

However, some scary news emerged on Sunday regarding Dell, who was the victim of a shooting in Sanford, Florida on Saturday night. Thankfully, Dell only suffered a minor wound and was released from the hospital on Sunday.

As the Texans statement notes, they’ll provide more updates when available, but it certainly seems like a generally good sign that Dell was released quickly from the hospital. That hopefully means he will make a speedy and full recovery and be able to resume his promising young career on the field.

With the lingering effects of his “Like That” verse aimed at longtime frenemy Drake and J. Cole, still causing havoc in rap, fans are wondering where is Kendrick Lamar. While J. Cole has apologized for his response diss (“7 Minute Drill“) and ultimately removed it from streaming services, Drake hasn’t waived the white flag just yet.

Lamar’s subsequent silence has supporters intrigued. But all this time, the Grammy Award-winner musician might’ve been in the recording booth creating a new body of work, according to a viral rumor online.

So, Did Kendrick Lamar Just Release A New Album Through pgLang?

If you were waiting for Lamar’s follow-up to 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, you aren’t in luck. Today (April 28), an anonymous report began to circulate across X (formerly Twitter) that Lamar used his creative company, pgLang, to drop his new project.

Users online claimed to have found a leaked file of Lamar’s new album. Quickly after the post went live, others began to repost the link to the unauthorized project.

However, with a few hours, supporters of Lamar debunked the viral claim. One user even traced back the source of the rumor to one Reddit user.

“I compiled my favorite Kendrick leaks to try and create a conceptual and cohesive playlist,” they wrote.

AI may have a hard time copying Lamar, but fans don’t seem to have any difficulty locating his unreleased music.

The Knicks and Sixers met in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon for Game 4 of their first round series, with the Sixers hoping to even up the series before it goes back to New York. The Sixers were rolling to start the game, as they jumped out to an early double-digit advantage as Tyrese Maxey continued his strong series and Joel Embiid picked up where he left off after a 50-point performance in Game 3.

The Knicks would start to claw their way back into the game, first taking advantage of Embiid going to the bench (where Philly has struggled all series) and then maintaining some positive momentum even when he came back as Jalen Brunson was in a rhythm and got the Knicks all the way back to take a lead in the second quarter.

The two teams would go back-and-forth from there, with Philly taking a two-point lead into the break. The second half followed a similar script to the first, with the Sixers again darting out to a lead thanks to Maxey and Embiid.

But once again the Knicks had an answer as Brunson continued his spectacular play, getting support from OG Anunoby on offense and Josh Hart leading the way on the boards and defensive end as New York claimed a one-point edge going to the fourth.

At that point, every Knicks fan held their breath after Brunson went to the locker room after banging knees on the final play of the third quarter. The Sixers would take advantage of his absence to start the quarter as they briefly reclaimed the lead on a Cam Payne pull-up three.

Despite leaving Joel Embiid in the game and not giving him his usual rest, the Sixers could not go on a run with Brunson out, as Hart and Anunoby led a tremendous effort on the defensive end.

When Brunson emerged from the locker room to allow the Knicks faithful to breathe a sigh of relief, he quickly got back to work and re-established a New York advantage.

While Brunson did just about everything offensively, scoring nearly half of the Knicks points, it was a full team effort on defense. The Sixers could just not get anything going in the fourth quarter, as Embiid looked gassed and refused to go inside despite being guarded by OG Anunoby throughout the fourth quarter, and the Knicks perimeter defenders denied Maxey lanes to the rim.

The Knicks certainly didn’t go run away and hide, as they had their own offensive struggles, but when they absolutely needed a bucket they were able to turn to Brunson, who the Sixers just had no answers for all game.

Brunson finished the game with 47 points (18-of-34 shooting) and 10 assists, putting forth one of the best playoff performances in Knicks franchise history — his 47 points is the most by a Knick in a playoff game ever. OG Anunoby was the best player in support of Brunson, posting 16 points and 14 rebounds, while also handling the responsibility of defending Embiid throughout the fourth quarter due to foul trouble for Hartenstein. Deuce McBride chipped in 13 off the bench, which was vital with the rest of the Knicks struggling from the field, and while Josh Hart had a rough shooting night, he still was a positive impact thanks to 15 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.

For the Sixers, they just didn’t have enough on the offensive end down the stretch, as their stars weren’t very effective late and no one else was capable of picking up the slack. Embiid looked gassed in the fourth, playing all 24 minutes in the second half, and scored just one point in the final frame as he finished with 27 points (7-of-17 shooting), 10 rebounds, and six assists. Maxey finished with 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting, and Kelly Oubre Jr. (19 points) was the only other player to really present an actual offensive threat.

As the series shifts back to New York, the same issues present themselves for Philly. It certainly seems as though they are reliant on massive efforts from their two stars, and Embiid is clearly physically compromised right now. The Knicks have won games with and without Brunson having big games, and they get to go back home where their role players will be more comfortable. The Sixers certainly could force things back to Philadelphia for Game 6, but they will either need another 50-point type outing from Embiid or Maxey or to get something from the supporting cast that just hasn’t been there all series.