Curtis Blair is the only first-time selection among the 12 referees chosen to work the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell will not play for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs because of injuries that have dogged both throughout the series.

James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright joined a very small club on Sunday.

For NBA players, the prize is the gold trophy.

Detroit guard Killian Hayes and Orlando’s Moritz Wagner were each given multi-game suspensions for their roles in a scuffle, while the NBA suspended eight Magic players one game apiece for leaving the bench area during an altercation.

Three players were ejected after a fight between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons late in the first half of their game.

Paul George had 37 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 119-111 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, Pool, File)ATLANTA – Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired less than halfway into a season that began with heightened expectations but was beset by injuries. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. AdMcMillan filled in for Pierce when Pierce was recently away from the team while his wife was giving birth. This was supposed to be the season the Hawks returned to the playoffs, and Pierce acknowledged before the season it was time to win. Pierce, hired in 2018, was 63-120 (.344) with the Hawks, missing the playoffs in each of his two completed seasons.