Houston's clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed after three Rockets players returned positive or inconclusive coronavirus tests.
The NBA playoffs will return on Saturday after "productive conversation" amid protests that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake.
It was the Celtics who started hot in front of their home fans, starting the game on a 14-2 run, but the Warriors fought back to a 22-16 deficit, and from there launched a game-winning 21-0 run. The Warriors used that run to jump ahead 37-22, and the Celtics were never able to trim the lead to below eight points the rest of the way.
Stephen Curry secured his first ever Finals MVP with a team-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, going six-of-10 from long range, while also adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
However, where the Warriors won Game 6 was on the defensive end, forcing 21 turnovers and holding Jayson Tatum to just 13 points on six-of-18 shooting.
Andrew Wiggins was terrific, finishing with four steals and three blocks as he made Tatum's life miserable, and he added 18 points on seven-of-18 shooting.
It is the Warriors' seventh NBA title in their history, and their fourth in the past eight seasons.
Thursday's win completed an impressive turnaround from 2-1 down in the series to a 4-2 victory after winning the last three contests, including two in Boston.
Head coach Steve Kerr – who won five NBA Finals rings as a player for the Chicago Bulls (three) and San Antonio Spurs (two) – has now won the same number as a coach, all with the Warriors.
James Harden has completed a blockbuster trade from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, it has been confirmed.
Tobin Anderson has been rewarded for leading 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson into the second round with one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
FDU defeated Purdue, who had won the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament, in what Anderson described as "one of the most unbelievable stories of all".
Anderson had garnered attention even before that first-round game, telling the Knights after a play-in win: "The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them. Let's go shock the world."
He and FDU delivered on that, although their run ended in the second round against Florida Atlantic, losing 78-70.
And that was the end of the road for Anderson at Fairleigh Dickinson as his appointment at Iona was confirmed on Tuesday.
The Gaels moved swiftly to name a new coach after Pitino left for St. John's this week.
"We are very excited to introduce Tobin Anderson as Iona University's men's basketball head coach," said Iona director of athletics Matthew Glovaski.
"We have long known him to be a fantastic coach and an even better person. Now, with his team's impressive run in the NCAA tournament, everyone paying attention to March Madness also knows this.
"We're delighted that he will be at the helm of our men's basketball programme."
All three NBA playoff games at Walt Disney World Resort on Wednesday were postponed amid protests following the shooting of Blake – a black man who was repeatedly shot in the back by police.
It came after the Milwaukee Bucks – the top seeds in the Eastern Conference – decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round postseason series against the Orlando Magic.
And in baseball, the Brewers followed suit after agreeing not to play their midweek fixture against the Reds at Miller Park in Milwaukee amid protests against racial injustice in the United States.
"The players from the Brewers and Reds have decided to not play tonight's baseball game," a statement from both sets of players said.
"With our community and our nation in such pain, we wanted to draw as much attention to the issues that really matter, especially racial injustice and systemic oppression."
The Seattle Mariners will also sit out MLB action midweek after players agreed to postpone their meeting with the San Diego Padres.
"The Seattle Mariners respect the team's decision not to play tonight's game," a statement read. "The Seattle Mariners stand with our players as they speak out with their words and actions against social injustice."
Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon wrote via Twitter: "There are serious issues in this country. For me, and for many of my teammates, the injustices, violence, death and systemic racism is deeply personal.
"This is impacting not only my community, but very directly my family and friends. Our team voted unanimously not to play tonight.
"Instead of watching us, we hope people will focus on the things more important than sports that are happening."
The Charlotte Hornets' Miles Bridges was named MVP after scoring 20 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
Eric Paschall had a team-high 23 points for USA, Collin Sexton chipped in with 21 and Zion Williamson finished with 14.
RJ Barrett led the way for Team World with a game-high 27 points as both sides put on a show.
USA made it back-to-back wins in the Rising Stars Challenge, with their victory coming thanks to a dominant second half in which they outscored Team World 80-50.
The 19-year-old drained two early three-pointers in his 12-point haul along with six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes for the Pistons, who went down 76-72 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Expectations are high for Cunningham with Detroit who finished bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 20-52 record last season and have not won a playoff game since 2008.
"It was fun getting to put the jersey on for the first time," Cunningham said after the game.
"Obviously, we wanted a win out of this, but we spent the last week beating on each other. It’s our first time being able to get to go and be with each other and really try to get this chemistry down.
"We got a lot from this game we can learn from. That’s the main thing you want out of your first game. Now we’re going to try to keep building off of that."
He added: "I wanted to step into the game confident, ready to shoot, ready to play. To see the first two go down, it’s a good feeling. Now it’s building off of that."
Cunningham played the first half alongside 20-year-old French guard Killian Hayes, who was selected seventh overall in the 2020 Draft, with the pair likely to be the side's main ballhandlers.
"I think more than anything, we’re on the same page mentally in where we want this team to be," Cunningham said.
"Now it’s about having a better feel for each other. We haven’t played a lot together."
He added: "We have so much time to build and grow from this. We are not going to hang our heads off of this one game."
The WNBA star was jailed in August for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent.
Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into Russia in vape cartridges, with the American stating she had made an "honest mistake."
The eight-time WNBA All-Star was, her lawyers argued, using cannabis for medicinal purposes to treat chronic pain sustained over the course of her career and was not aware cannabis oil was outlawed in Russia.
Exactly a week after her 32nd birthday, Griner on Tuesday took part in the hearing via video link from a penal colony outside Moscow, where she has been imprisoned.
The Phoenix Mercury player once again apologised for an "honest mistake" when she spoke to an appeals court of three judges, saying it had been a "very, very stressful" time for her.
She said: "I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence because it has been very, very stressful and very traumatic. People with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given."
Griner was unsuccessful with her appeal, with the judge stating the verdict was upheld "without changes" except for time served in pre-trial detention as part of the sentence.
The United States national security advisor Jake Sullivan responded to the verdict by stating: "We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today.
"President [Joe] Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately. In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.
"The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world. The Administration remains in regular touch with representatives of the families, and we continue to admire their courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances."
At the White House, President Biden confirmed he had spoken to 32-year-old Griner, who was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into Russia in vape cartridges.
That was shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, weakening diplomatic relations with the US, and eight-time WNBA All-Star Griner was jailed for nine years in August for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent.
Griner said she made an "honest mistake", and her lawyers argued she was using cannabis for medicinal purposes to treat chronic pain sustained over the course of her career.
They said she was not aware cannabis oil was outlawed in Russia.
Reports in the United States said Griner had been freed in a prisoner exchange that has seen arms dealer Viktor Bout released into Russian hands.
President Biden said Griner had been "unjustly detained in Russia", describing circumstances she endured as "intolerable".
"Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along," Biden said. "This is a day we've worked towards for a long time."
Biden said there had been "painstaking and intense negotiations". He said recent months had been "hell for Brittney" and stressed efforts were ongoing to free former US Marine Paul Whelan, who is in a Russian jail after being convicted in 2020 on espionage charges.
Biden said Phoenix Mercury player Griner was "in good spirits" and "relieved to be heading home" after enduring "needless trauma".
She was "wrongfully detained" in the first place, Biden said, and he added: "She endured mistreatment and a show trial in Russia with characteristic grit and incredible dignity.
"She wrote to me back in July, she didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release since day one."
Griner's wife Cherelle appeared alongside Biden and said: "Over the last nine months y'all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life."
She said news of Griner's release left her "overwhelmed with emotions", and she offered "sincere gratitude" to Biden and his administration.
"Today it's just a happy day for me and my family," she added.
The WNBA star was this month jailed for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into the country nearly six months ago.
Judge Anna Sotnikova rejected Griner's apology and plea for leniency. Griner said she had made an "honest mistake".
Griner was arrested in Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She was returning to Russia, where she has played since 2014 during the WNBA offseason.
The eight-time WNBA All-Star was, her lawyers argued, using cannabis for medicinal purposes to treat chronic pain sustained over the course of her career.
The two-time Olympic champion said she accidentally packed the cartridges and was unaware cannabis oil was outlawed in Russia.
United States president Joe Biden slammed the sentence as "unacceptable" and Griner's lawyer Maria Blagovolina told Reuters on Monday that an appeal had been filed.
The US government and Russia are engaged in prisoner swap negotiations that, if successful, would see Griner released to return home.
Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia remain ahead of the pack after a second-quarter flurry helped to sink the Charlotte Hornets, 118-101, with Tobias Harris leading the scoring on 22 points.
Joel Embiid (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Ben Simmons (12 points and 10 rebounds) played key supporting roles with double-doubles as the 76ers continue to fly high.
Indiana improved to 5-2 in a 118-116 thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans after Brogdon capped his double-double with the clutch OT winner, while Victor Oladipo top scored for the Pacers with 25 points.
In-form Pelicans duo Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 55 points in the loss, as Ingram scored 31 and Williamson recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Orlando also stayed in the hunt for top spot as Aaron Gordon (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (23 points) inspired the Magic to move to 5-3 with a 103-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Malcolm Brogdon hits the game-winning floater in OT as the @Pacers pick up their 5th W of the season!
Brogdon: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 11 AST
Victor Oladipo: 25 PTS, 6 AST
Brandon Ingram: 31 PTS, 8 AST
Zion Williamson: 24 PTS, 10 REB pic.twitter.com/XfWbcMXemJ
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2021
Doncic, Giannis go off as Mavs and Bucks win
Luka Doncic dominated with 33 points and a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks ended the Houston Rockets’ winning streak with a 113-100 win.
Doncic added 16 rebounds and 11 assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr shot for 30 points to boost the Mavs. Houston's Christian Wood, Eric Gordon and a returning James Harden all put up more than 20 points.
LeBron and his eldest son will team up for the Los Angeles Lakers next season, after Bronny was selected as the No.55 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
But LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading points scorer, has warned the media not to expect Bronny to struggle under pressure or fail to cope with any criticism.
"I don't know if people really understand Bronny," James told ESPN.
"He doesn't care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me, and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. He doesn't give a f***.
"He does not care about nobody. He doesn't even listen to that stuff. He's like the coolest.
"He's the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. This bro does not care. Everything that's being said about him, he really does not care."
LeBron, though, believes his son, who is 19, has shown a fantastic mentality and attitude to make his own way in basketball.
"Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy and you the kid still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself," James added.
"I personally don't know if I would've been able to do that if the roles were reversed.
"When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice. I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city.
"Bronny has all the choices in the world. If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or wanted to do whatever, he could have done that.
"People don't understand how hard that is and the commitment for him to be coming out of heart surgery less than a year ago, for him to be able to be in the NBA, the kid, he's special."
According to reports, teams were notified by the league that Bronny was cleared by a fitness-to-play panel that consists of three doctors who review medical records.
The clearance comes nearly a year after Bronny suffered cardiac arrest in practice with USC last July and underwent a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect.
He missed USC’s first eight games of the season before making his collegiate debut on December 10. Bronny played in the Trojans’ final 25 contests (including six starts) and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per game.
LeBron, who just completed his 21st season in the NBA and is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 40,474 points, has said many times that he would love to play on the same NBA team with Bronny.
He can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, possibly setting him up to sign with whatever team drafts Bronny.
After the Lakers were eliminated in five games by the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs on April 29, LeBron discussed Bronny’s future.
“The kid has to do what he wants to do - and I don’t even want to say kid no more - the young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go," LeBron said.
“I just think the fact that we’re even having the conversation is pretty cool in the sense of that. Obviously, we'll see what happens.”
Bronny is expected to take part in the NBA Draft combine this week in Chicago and undergo medical examinations.
The spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday he is now in stable condition and out of the intensive care unit.
The incident occurred Monday morning, when he collapsed on the basketball court, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Bronny, whose name is LeBron James Jr., was reportedly unconscious when the ambulance arrived at USC's Galen Center, and rushed to the hospital where he was treated by the medical staff.
"We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information," the statement said.
Considered one of the top high school recruits in the United States, the younger James made the decision in May to play college basketball at USC over Ohio State and Oregon.
The 38-year-old LeBron has said previously that he would like to play in the NBA along with his oldest son Bronny, and announced two weeks ago that he will return for his 21st pro season and sixth with the Lakers.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer and four-time league MVP is coming off another stellar season in 2022-23, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 55 games.
Brooklyn Nets assistant coach David Vanterpool has been fined $10,000 and the franchise penalised $25,000 after bizarrely interfering with play in Wednesday's 119-118 win over the Washington Wizards.
The incident, which occurred with the Nets leading 109-103 with 5:42 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, went unnoticed at the time by officials but led to a turnover of opposition by the Wizards.
Referee Ben Taylor said none of the officials saw the deflection, as Vanterpool raised his hand and touched a pass for Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma along with Spencer Dinwiddie, who passed the ball, both demonstratively protested the lack of a decision after Vanterpool interfered with the live play.
"You asked me if he may have touched it, there is no may have, he did," Wizards acting head coach Joseph Blair told reporters after Wednesday's game.
"My reaction was utter disbelief. I've never seen in my very long time in basketball something happen like that that the referees didn't see."
Vaughn had been placed in charge on an interim basis following the sacking of Steve Nash last week.
The Nets are 4-7 for the season, and 2-2 since Nash was dismissed and replaced by Vaughn, who has been assistant at the franchise since 2016, briefly taking on an interim head coach role in for 10 games in 2020 after the dismissal of Kenny Atkinson.
General manager Sean Marks praised Vaughn’s capability of getting the best out of Brooklyn’s talented roster, saying: "Jacque's basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organisation make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward.
"He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball."
It had been speculated that the Nets would turn to suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who was assistant at the Nets in the 2020-21 season, but they have decided to promote from within.
Vaughn's first game as permanent head coach will be against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
The Nets, who were beaten 4-3 by eventual NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference semi-finals last season, will be hold their pre-season training camp next month.
Durant, who last Saturday won gold at Tokyo 2020, recently re-committed to Brooklyn on a four-year deal.
Marks confirmed the Nets are in talks to extend the contracts of Irving and Harden, as they look to lock down their 'Big Three'.
“I feel very confident that first day of training camp we’ll be looking at those three in particular being signed, sealed and delivered and being part of the Brooklyn Nets for a long time to come,” Marks said in Wednesday's video conference.
"We're having those conversations with them. I think there's no immediate hurry to get any of these guys done in terms of the first day of free agency. These are opportunities for us to sit down, break bread together, meet with Joe Tsai [Nets owner] and really get on the same page."
Marks said that Durant's extension was "straight-forward", labelling the forward's decision to extend as "franchise changing".
“Kevin was honestly extremely straightforward, and very upfront about ‘I want to be here, this is it, get it done, and I want to get it done immediately.’ I don't blame him," Marks said.
"It was obviously very important for us. I can't tell you how important it was, and this is franchise changing when you can lock a person like Kevin up and he wants to commit to being here for the foreseeable future."
Marks also offered updates on both Irving and Harden who missed periods of the playoffs with injuries.
Harden, 31, battled a hamstring injury in the regular season which recurred during the playoffs, while Irving suffered an ankle sprain in Game 4 of the Bucks series and did not return.
“I've James working out, I've seen some videos of him and he's really trending in the right direction," Marks said. "Looks great, has really devoted himself this summer to rehabbing one the hamstring and just getting himself into top basketball shape.
"I was with Kyrie yesterday... It was a bad ankle sprain, there's no question there, so that set him back, but he's recovering and he's progressing well and is back in the gym and I have no doubt by the time training camp rolls around and even prior to that the guys will be together and be live on the court together playing and working out.
"But from a health standpoint no reason to be concerned about either one.”
In a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, it states Durant had a meeting with Tsai on Monday where he reiterated his trade request, as well as the bombshell that he will refuse to remain with the team unless Marks and Nash are both fired.
Durant, 33, is about to enter the first year of his four-year, $198million contract extension with the Nets, meaning there is no way for the two-time NBA Finals MVP to literally force his way out. To leave Brooklyn, the team will need to trade him, and there is no guarantee that is in their plans, despite Durant's requests.
In a clear statement of where his loyalty lies, Tsai tweeted: "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."
The Athletic's report also revealed the Nets "engaged in conversations with almost every team in the league" after Durant's initial trade request, but no team has been able to meet their asking price, which is said to be one of the biggest in NBA history.
The Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat are mentioned as the three teams most likely to aggressively pursue a trade, with 25-year-old Celtics wing Jaylen Brown considered the best player being included in negotiations.
Harden returned from neck soreness to score 44 points for the Nets, his largest haul since joining Brooklyn from the Houston Rockets in January.
He also contributed 14 rebounds and eight assists in a decisive performance.
"I feel like I am the MVP," Harden said. "I don't want to speak individually on myself. I'm just going to leave it at that.
"I just try to go out there every single night and bring my team-mates everything I can."
The 31-year-old guard, who averages the most minutes per game in 2020-21, tops the statistics for assists per game this season, with 11.2. He is also averaging 25.3 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Denver's Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lakers star LeBron James are among the favourites to win the MVP along with Harden.
Harden added: "Tonight, Detroit's game plan and schemes were to take away the lob pass and not let our bigs get lobs and shooters to get shots.
"That allowed me to get to the basket and shoot layups all night. Games are different and I just take what the defense gives me. The next game we might get more lobs than shots.
"Just play the game the right way and try to be efficient in doing it."