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LOS ANGELES — LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit.

“I don’t have the answer to that,” James said Wednesday night when asked how long he will continue to play. “Something I’ll sit down with my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it, and see what happens. Just have conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest.”

The 40-year-old James has given no public indication he is thinking about retirement this summer, but Lakers fans will be holding their breath until the top scorer in NBA history makes his plans official.

James provided no hints after recording 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ 103-96 loss to Minnesota.

“It’s up to me if I’m going to continue to play, or how long I’m going to continue to play,” James said. “It’s ultimately up to me, so it has nothing to do with anybody else.”

Most observers think the four-time champion is planning to return for a 23rd season, which would break the NBA longevity record he currently shares with Vince Carter. He is also just 49 regular-season games behind Robert Parish, who holds the NBA record with 1,611 games played. James already holds the league record for career playoff games with 292.

But his seventh season with the Lakers is over after the Timberwolves’ 4-1 series victory. Los Angeles didn’t build a winning dynamic quickly enough to the midseason arrival of Luka Doncic in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis.

James’ Lakers have advanced in the postseason just once in the five years since their championship in the Florida bubble — but if James returns, he’s coming back to a completely reconfigured team built around his new partnership with Doncic.

James and Doncic played only 21 games together after the deal, and it wasn’t enough to maximize their potential teamwork. Another full year together could raise their partnership to formidable levels, and James still seems intrigued by the prospect of playing a full year or more alongside the Slovenian superstar he has described as his favorite active player.

“Anytime you make a big acquisition in the middle of the season, it’s always going to be challenging, not only for me, but for (Austin Reaves) and the rest of the group,” James said. “There were times where we obviously didn’t look so well, but I think we kind of figured it out later in the season, the more games we had. I still don’t think we had enough time to mesh, but for the time that we had, I thought we ended the regular season very well to be top three in the West.”

Doncic isn’t the only teammate who could compel James to return: His 20-year-old son, Bronny, is coming off a surprisingly solid rookie season with the Lakers in which they became the first father and son to play together in NBA history.

Bronny James is hoping to carve out a bigger role alongside his father next season after getting sporadic playing time this year. LeBron said the chance to work alongside Bronny this season was the “No. 1” accomplishment of his career.

There are no apparent contractual or financial issues in James’ way: He has a player option for next season that will pay him more than $56.2 million. That’s serious money to leave on the table, even for a business mogul with a net worth estimated at more than $1 billion.

An eighth consecutive season with the Lakers would be the longest stretch of his career with one team, surpassing his first seven seasons with Cleveland — although he returned for four more years and a championship with the Cavaliers.

James’ level of play remained high in his 22nd season, confounding all previous notions of basketball longevity. He averaged 24.4 points per game — his lowest since his rookie season, but just barely — along with 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds.

James remained the Lakers’ heart while they won 52 games and the Pacific Division title despite the midseason roster upheaval. Every significant contributor on this season’s roster is under contract for 2025-26 except for Dorian Finney-Smith, who has a $15.3 million player option, and inconsistent center Jaxson Hayes.

In a moment of reflection near his 40th birthday last December, James speculated that he could continue to play at this level for five to seven more years. He doesn’t intend to stick around that long, however.

Three shows — “Death Becomes Her,” “Maybe Happy Ending” and “Buena Vista Social Club” — led the pack for of 78th Annual Tony Award nominees announced early Thursday, picking up 10 nods apiece.

The nominations, which were announced by Tony Award winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce, also included a slew of Hollywood stars. George Clooney, Sarah Snook, Sadie Sink and Bob Odenkirk were all nominated.

Broadway’s biggest night, set to be hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, will be held June 8 at 8 p.m. ET at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.

Here’s a full list of the nominees.

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play

• Sadie Sink, “John Proctor is the Villain” 
• LaTanya Richardson Jackson, “Purpose” 
• Laura Donnelly, “The Hills of California” 
• Sarah Snook, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” 
• Mia Farrow, “The Roommate” 

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play

• Henry Lennix, “Purpose” 
• Jon Michael Hill, “Purpose” 
• George Clooney, “Good Night and Good Luck” 
• Louis McCartney, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Daniel Dae Kim, “Yellowface” 
• Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!” 

Best play

• “Purpose” 
• “John Proctor is the Villain” 
• “English” 
• “Oh, Mary!”
• “The Hills of California” 

Best Musical

• “Maybe Happy Ending” 
• “Dead Outlaw”
• “Death Becomes Her” 
• “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” 
• “The Buena Vista Social Club” 

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical

• Audra McDonald, “Gypsy” 
• Nicole Scherzinger, “Sunset Boulevard” 
• Megan Hilty, “Death Becomes Her” 
• Jennifer Simard, “Death Becomes Her” 
• Jasmine Amy Rogers, “BOOP! The Musical” 

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical

• Tom Francis, “Sunset Boulevard” 
• James Monroe Iglehart, “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” 
• Andrew Durand, “Dead Outlaw” 
• Darren Criss, “Maybe Happy Ending” 
• Jeremy Jordan, “Floyd Collins” 
• Jonathan Groff, “Just In Time” 

Best book of a musical

• Marco Ramirez, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Itamar Moses, “Dead Outlaw”
• Marco Pennette, “Death Becomes Her”
• Will Aronson and Hue Park, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”

Best original score written for the theatre

• Music and lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, “Dead Outlaw”
• Music and lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, “Death Becomes Her”
• Music: Will Aronson, Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Music and lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”
• Music and lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”

Best scenic design of a play

• Marsha Ginsberg, “English”
• Rob Howell, “The Hills of California”
• Marg Horwell and David Bergman, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
• Miriam Buether and 59, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Scott Pask, “Good Night, and Good Luck”  

Best scenic design of a musical

• Rachel Hauck, “Swept Away”
• Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Arnulfo Maldonado, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Derek McLane, “Death Becomes Her”
• Derek McLane, “Just in Time”  

Best costume design of a play

• Brenda Abbandandolo, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
• Marg Horwell, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
• Rob Howell, “The Hills of California”
• Holly Pierson, “Oh, Mary!”
• Brigitte Reiffenstuel, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”  

Best costume design of a musical

•  Dede Ayite, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Gregg Barnes, “BOOP! The musical”
• Clint Ramos, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Paul Tazewell, “Death Becomes Her”
• Catherine Zuber, “Just in Time”

Best lighting design of a play

• Natasha Chivers, “The Hills of California”
• Jon Clark, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
• Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, “John Proctor is the Villain”
• Nick Schlieper, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”  

Best lighting design of a musical

• Jack Knowles, “Sunset Boulevard”
• Tyler Micoleau, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, “Floyd Collins”
• Ben Stanton, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Justin Townsend, “Death Becomes Her”  

Best sound design of a play

• Paul Arditti, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Palmer Hefferan, “John Proctor is the Villain”
• Daniel Kluger, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
• Nick Powell, “The Hills of California”
• Clemence Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”  

Best sound design of a musical

• Jonathan Deans, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Adam Fisher, “Sunset Boulevard”
• Peter Hylenski, “Just in Time”
• Peter Hylenski, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Dan Moses Schreier, “Floyd Collins”  

Best direction of a play

• Knud Adams, “English”
• Sam Mendes, “The Hills of California”
• Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!”
• Danya Taymor, “John Proctor is the Villain”
• Kip Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”  

Best direction of a musical

• Saheem Ali, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Michael Arden, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• David Cromer, “Dead Outlaw”
• Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”
• Jamie Lloyd, “Sunset Boulevard”

 Best choreography

•  Joshua Bergasse, “Smash”
• Camille A. Brown, “Gypsy”
• Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”
• Jerry Mitchell, “BOOP! The Musical”
• Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, “Buena Vista Social Club”

Best orchestrations

• Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, “Just in Time”
• Will Aronson, “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Bruce Coughlin, “Floyd Collins”
• Marco Paguia, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Sunset Boulevard”  

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play

• Tala Ashe, “English”
• Jessica Hecht, “Eureka Day”
• Marjan Neshat, “English”
• Fina Strazza, “John Proctor is the Villain”
• Kara Young, “Purpose”

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play

• Glenn Davis, “Purpose”
• Gabriel Ebert, “John Proctor is the Villain”
• Francis Jue, “Yellow Face”
• Bob Odenkirk, “Glengarry Glen Ross”
• Conrad Ricamora, “Oh, Mary!”  

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical

• Natalie Venetia Belcon, “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Julia Knitel, “Dead Outlaw”
• Gracie Lawrence, “Just in Time”
• Justina Machado, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”
• Joy Woods, “Gypsy”  

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical

• Brooks Ashmanskas, “Smash”
• Jeb Brown, “Dead Outlaw”
• Danny Burstein, “Gypsy”
• Jak Malone, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”
• Taylor Trensch, “Floyd Collins”  

Best revival of a play

• “Eureka Day,” Author: Jonathan Spector
• “Romeo + Juliet”
• Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”
• “Yellow Face,” Author: David Henry Hwang

Best revival of a musical

• “Floyd Collins”
• “Gypsy”
• “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
• “Sunset Boulevard”

An astronaut who missed out on the first all-female spacewalk because of a spacesuit sizing issue got her chance six years later on Thursday.

NASA’s Anne McClain emerged from the International Space Station alongside Nichole Ayers. Both military officers and pilots, they launched to the orbiting lab in March to replace NASA’s two stuck astronauts, who are now back home.

Minutes before floating out, McClain noticed strands of string on the index finger of her right glove. Mission Control briefly delayed the start of the spacewalk to make sure her glove was safe.

During their spacewalk, the pair will prepare the space station for another new set of solar panels and move an antenna on the 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) complex.

The space station had to be raised into a slightly higher orbit Wednesday evening to avoid space junk: part of a 20-year-old Chinese rocket.

McClain, an Army colonel and helicopter pilot, should have taken part in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, but there weren’t enough medium-size suits. The first women-only spacewalk was by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. The latest was the fifth all-female spacewalk in 60 years of spacewalking.

Koch soon will become the first woman to fly to the moon. She and three male astronauts will fly around the moon without landing next year under NASA’s Artemis program, the successor to Apollo.

Men still outnumber women in NASA’s astronaut corps.

Of NASA’s 47 active astronauts, 20 are women. And of the seven astronauts currently living at the space station, McClain and Ayers are the only women. It was the first spacewalk for Ayers, an Air Force major and former fighter pilot, and the third for McClain.

Apple violated a U.S. court order that required the iPhone maker to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its lucrative App Store and will be referred to federal prosecutors, a federal judge in California ruled on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland said in an 80-page ruling that Apple failed to comply with her prior injunction order, which was imposed in an antitrust lawsuit brought by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games.

“Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated,” Gonzalez Rogers said. She added: “This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order.”

Gonzalez Rogers referred Apple and one of its executives, Alex Roman, vice president of finance, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation into their conduct in the case.

Roman gave testimony about the steps Apple took to comply with her injunction that was “replete with misdirection and outright lies,” the judge wrote.

Apple in a statement said “we strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal.”

Epic Games Chief Executive Tim Sweeney called the judge’s order a significant win for developers and consumers.

“It forces Apple to compete with other payment services rather than blocking them, and this is what we wanted all along,” Sweeney told reporters.

Sweeney said Epic Games would aim to bring back Fortnite to the Apple App Store next week. Apple in 2020 had pulled Epic’s account after the company let iPhone users navigate outside Apple’s ecosystem for better payment deals.

Epic accused Apple of stifling competition for app downloads and overcharging commissions for in-app purchases.

Gonzalez Rogers in 2021 found Apple violated a California competition law and ordered the company to allow developers more freedom to direct app users to other payment options.

Apple failed last year to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the injunction.

Epic Games told the court in March 2024 that Apple was “blatantly” violating the court’s order, including by imposing a new 27% fee on app developers when Apple customers complete an app purchase outside the App Store. Apple charges developers a 30% commission fee for purchases within the App Store.

Apple also began displaying messages warning customers of the potential danger of external links in order to deter non-Apple payments, Epic Games alleged, calling Apple’s new system “commercially unusable.”

Apple has denied any wrongdoing. The company in a court filing on March 7 told Gonzalez Rogers it undertook “extensive efforts” to comply with the injunction “while preserving the fundamental features of Apple’s business model and safeguarding consumers.”

Gonzalez Rogers suggested at an earlier hearing that changes made by Apple to its App Store had no purpose “other than to stifle competition.”

In Wednesday’s ruling, Gonzalez Rogers said Apple is immediately barred from impeding developers’ ability to communicate with users, and the company must not levy its new commission on off-app purchases.

She said Apple cannot ask her to pause her ruling “given the repeated delays and severity of the conduct.” She took no view on whether a criminal case should be opened.

“It will be for the executive branch to decide whether Apple should be deprived of the fruits of its violation, in addition to any penalty geared to deter future misconduct,” the judge wrote.

“I felt a deep need to express my gratitude, my respect and my desire to strengthen the spiritual bond with the figure who, to me, represents the heart of the Catholic faith,” said Daniel Sanz, who had traveled from Spain.

“Being in the presence of the pope was a moment of profound emotion and reflection, an opportunity to renew my commitment to those values,” the teenager told NBC News.

Standing with the group of friends with whom he’d made the journey from Madrid, Sanz wore white rosary beads around his neck, explaining that “for me, Catholicism is a guide for life. It is a path that invites me to live with humility, responsibility and love for others.”

MELBOURNE, Australia — Tourist Nash Core admits he felt some fear when he and his 11-year-old son waded into the ocean off the Australian coast to help rescue a 10-foot great white shark stranded in shallow water.

Three local men managed to return the distressed animal from a sand bank into deeper water after an almost hour-long rescue effort on Tuesday near the coastal town of Ardrossan in the state of South Australia.

“It was either sick or … just tired,” said Core, who was visiting with his family from Gold Coast in the state of Queensland. “We definitely got it into some deeper water, so hopefully it’s swimming still.”

The unusual human-shark interaction occurred while Core was traveling around Australia with his wife, Ash Core, and their sons Parker, 11, and Lennox, 7.

Nash Core used his drone to shoot video of the writhing shark before he and Parker decided to help the trio who were struggling to move the shark into deeper water.

“To be honest, I did have some thoughts about, oh, why am I going out here?” Core recalled on Thursday.

“As we were going out, my young son, Parker, turned to me and said … ‘My heart’s pounding.’ I said, ‘Yeah, mine’s beating pretty fast too,’” Core added.

The three men had used crab rakes — a garden rake-like tool for digging small crabs from sand — to move the shark into deeper water by the time the father and son arrived.

Core said he decided against pushing the shark himself.

“They … got it into deeper water where I thought it’s probably not a good idea to go any further. That’s its territory and I’ll stay back,” he said.

Core said the rescuers later told him they’d never seen a beached shark before.

Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said while shark strandings were not common, they were becoming more visible through social media.

There could be a number of reasons why marine animals like sharks might strand, including illness and injury. The shark could also have chased prey into the shallows, Pirotta said.

“If you see something like this, human safety comes first and foremost,” Pirotta said. “You can contact environmental authorities … who will get someone appropriate to come and assist.”

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned on Thursday an earlier ruling that had cleared election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of violating election law, throwing into doubt his eligibility to run for the presidency.

Lee, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party that controls parliament, leads opinion polls to win a snap presidential election set off by the ouster of conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law.

The election law violation case against Lee had been closely watched since a ruling that removes him from the ballot could further deepen divisions in society, after months of political turmoil that has hampered efforts to steer Asia’s fourth-largest economy through the choppy waters of U.S. tariffs.

In March, an appeals court had cleared Lee of violating the election law, but prosecutors had appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

Lee is embroiled in several criminal trials, but the election law case was in the spotlight because if the Supreme Court overturned Lee’s not guilty verdict and it is finalized, it would bar him from contesting elections for at least five years.

The Supreme Court said that Lee violated election law by publicly stating false facts and ruled to send the case back to the appeals court.

While the Supreme Court moved unusually fast to consider Lee’s election law case, it gave no deadline for the lower court, which usually takes months to revisit rulings and it was unclear if it would come before the June 3 election.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s acting leader, Han Duck-soo, resigned on Thursday in order to clear a path for him to join the race to become the country’s permanent president. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was expected to stand in as acting president as required by law.

Speculation had grown that Han, 75, would decide to contest the election after opinion polls showed an increase in support for the experienced technocrat, who was thrust into the top post in December after Yoon’s removal from office.

Han was impeached less than two weeks into the role after clashing with lawmakers in the opposition-controlled parliament. South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned that impeachment in March, restoring Han to the acting president position.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions after last week’s Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, the State Department said.

Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while expressing support to India in combating extremism and urging Pakistan to cooperate in investigating the attack, the State Department said after Rubio’s calls.

Wednesday’s calls mark the highest levels of publicly known simultaneous diplomatic engagements from Washington aimed at reducing India-Pakistan tensions since the April 22 attack.

India is an important U.S. partner to counter China’s rising influence. Pakistan remains Washington’s ally even as its importance diminished after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan.

State Department statements after the calls termed the Kashmir attack as “terror” and “unconscionable,” and said Rubio spoke to Pakistan “of the need to condemn” it.

Rubio “urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. Sharif’s office said he asked Rubio to urge India “to dial down the rhetoric.”

Rubio urged the Asian nuclear-armed neighbors to work with each other “to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace.”

Washington urged other countries to help reduce tensions while asking India and Pakistan to work on a “responsible solution.”

Washington has condemned the attack without criticizing Pakistan. India blamed Pakistan, which denied responsibility, calling for a neutral investigation.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, which each control only part of it and have fought wars over it.

After the attack, India suspended a treaty regulating water-sharing, and both countries closed airspace to each other’s airlines. They also exchanged fire across their border.

Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible. Pakistan says military action by India is imminent.

Just before a judge ordered it to do so, the Trump administration agreed to resume paying for attorneys for migrant children who come to the United States alone.

But groups that have been struggling to keep such unaccompanied children from being deported said the legal help is still in jeopardy under a Republican proposal put forward in a House committee Wednesday.

“I have been doing this work for a very long time, and what I read in this bill took by breath away,” said Jennifer Podkul, vice president for policy and advocacy at Kids in Need of Defense. “This bill not only makes it impossible for children to access protection in the United States, but it would make the government responsible for putting children in even more compromised and dangerous conditions.”

The White House, the Department of Health and Human Services and the House Judiciary Committee, which considered the measure, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguin, in California’s Northern District, issued a preliminary injunction late Tuesday ordering the administration to resume the money for the legal assistance, which it had stopped in March.

Several groups that provided the legal help sued after they were forced to abruptly lay off workers and scramble to find other help for unaccompanied migrant children with pending cases — including some who are victims of trafficking — and, in some instances, withdraw from the cases.

Martínez-Olguin had ordered the administration to resume paying for the attorneys in the case. But the plaintiff groups filed additional complaints with the court saying the administration refused to comply with that temporary restraining order. During that time, the administration appealed and also tried to have the judge recuse herself.

Monday, on the eve of the deadline for Martínez-Olguin’s decision on the preliminary injunction, the administration signed a modified contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, said Adina Appelbaum, program director for the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights Immigration Impact Lab, which is representing some of the plaintiffs.

Acacia had subcontracted more than 100 groups around the country to provide legal help to about 26,000 unaccompanied children. The new contract is for a shorter period, Appelbaum said.

But how long the funding will last could depend on what Congress does in the budget legislation currently being written. The measure considered by the House committee would omit money for attorneys for unaccompanied children, which Congress has paid for since 2009, according to immigration and anti-trafficking groups that reviewed the legislation, attorneys with the groups said.

The measure also proposed a number of fees that would charge unaccompanied children and their parents or guardians whom they could end up with in the United States. They included $5,000 for arriving at the border between legal ports of entry, as well as sponsorship fees of up to $8,500.

‘A huge gift to traffickers’

Members of organizations that assist unaccompanied children said the proposal, if it became law, would “dismantle” protections for unaccompanied children, with “catastrophic” implications for children seeking safety in the United States, including many who are trafficking victims within and outside the country.

Jean Bruggeman, executive director of the Freedom Network, the country’s largest coalition of anti-trafficking advocates and experts, said the United States has made “impressive” progress against human trafficking over the past 25 years.

The measure considered by the committee, Bruggeman said, would be “a huge gift to traffickers and an increase in vulnerability for children and families in the United States that will lead to more abuse and exploitation.”

A common refrain from NBA players and coaches this time of year is that the playoffs are a completely different sport than the regular season.

The pace of play slows down, referees swallow their whistles in favor of physicality, and the familiarity that grows between teams over the course of a series makes it harder and harder to win.

This year, that familiarity has also bred contempt, as nearly every series in the first round has featured a skirmish of some sort, or at the least spirited trash talk. Let’s run through some of the postseason’s more charged moments so far.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers won their series against the Bucks, 4-1, with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory Tuesday night. Except that’s not what anyone is talking about after Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo got into an altercation with — of all people! — Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton’s dad after Game 5.

Don’t worry, Antetokounmpo also had a dustup with an actual player after the game as well.

These two teams have a longstanding feud dating to last season. This series started with a war of words between Haliburton and Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who wasn’t even suited up for Game 1.

Predictably, that spilled over onto the floor the next game.

Haliburton has since apologized for his father’s actions. Haliburton and the Pacers also sent well wishes to Lillard after he tore his Achilles in Game 4.

Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

In the least surprising development of the playoffs, a matchup featuring the Warriors’ Draymond Green and longtime pest Dillon Brooks of the Rockets has gotten a little extra physical. Tempers especially flared in Game 4, which featured technical fouls on both Green and Brooks, as well as a flagrant foul on Green.

Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III made his feelings on Brooks clear after the Game 4, saying: “Get me on the record with this: I don’t like Dillon Brooks. We’re never having fun. I’m a fierce competitor. He’s a fierce competitor. There ain’t nothing fun about that.”

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The Nuggets and Clippers have also had some smoke for each other.

Things started relatively tame in Game 1, when Los Angeles assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy wouldn’t let go of the ball to stop Denver center Nikola Jokic from quickly starting a possession.

The chippiness escalated in Game 3, when a hard foul by Denver’s Christian Braun led to some shoving and six techs.

New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

Not to be outdone, the battle between two historically nasty Eastern Conference teams, the Knicks and the Pistons, has also featured some fireworks. In Game 3, three technicals were handed out after some shoving.

The first five games of the series have been very physical, to the point where refs may be missing some clear fouls.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Compared to the feistiness elsewhere, this has been a relatively respectful series. But that didn’t stop Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert from elbowing Lakers star LeBron James in the back of the head after Gobert took exception to a hard boxout.

Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic

The defending champion Celtics won their series against the Magic, 4-1, though not without a cost. The Magic committed three significant flagrant fouls in the series.

In Game 1, Boston’s Jayson Tatum injured his wrist on a foul by Orlando’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, causing Tatum to miss Game 2.

In Game 2, Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis was bloodied after an elbow to the face.

And in Game 3, Orlando’s Cole Anthony dislocated one of Boston’s Jaylen Brown’s fingers with a flagrant foul.

Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

For fans of nonviolence, the Heat and Cavaliers had them covered.

After Game 2, Cleveland guard Darius Garland said the team’s game plan was to attack Miami’s Tyler Herro.

Herro responded before Game 3, saying Garland himself wasn’t a very good defender.

There was no showdown on the court, however, as Garland missed the last two games of the series as the Cavaliers cruised to a sweep.