Everybody gets involved as Lonzo Ball, Lakers blow out Pistons

NEW YORK (AP) It’s being hyped as the largest indoor event in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with a crowd of 15,000 expected at Madison Square Garden. For a long time, like back when Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks in the late 1990s, playoff games were a routine part of spring time in New York. Now, after seven silent seasons, Game 1 of a first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night is shaping up as a Garden party.

Isaiah Thomas got ejected 88 seconds into the Wizards’ loss to the Trail Blazers on Friday for making contact with a referee.