Los Angeles Clippers

It's being hailed as one of the biggest implosions in the history of the NBA playoffs ... but Allen Iverson says the Clippers did NOT choke Thursday night ... they just lost.

The Clips were up 19 points on the Houston Rockets in Game 6 ... only to blow the lead and lose the game by 12 ... a 31 point swing. It was bad.

But when we saw A.I. in NYC a few minutes ago and asked if he's ever seen a worse choke job, he told us the Clips don't need the Heimlich ... 'cause it wasn't a choke job. Sometimes you just lose.

We also joked with A.I. about his legendary "practice" rant ... he laughed. It's funny.

Talkin' 'bout practice.

Good news for Clippers fans ... Austin Rivers says he wants to STAY in Lob City next season -- even if other teams come at him with GIANT contracts.

After Rivers tore up the Staples Center on Friday, the coach's son hit up Craig's in West Hollywood for a celebratory meal with his girlfriend Brittany Hotard ... clearly in a GREAT mood!

This video is AWESOME!!!

Trevor Ariza's grandfather says if Matt Barnes tried to talk smack to him during a game like he did to James Harden's mother ... "We'd have to kick the s**t out of him!"

Osvaldo Ariza was on his way in to Staples Center last night when we he made it clear ... the Ariza family doesn't mess around.

As far as the situation between Barnes and Harden's mom ... Ariza says he's not worried about Monja Willis because she's a tough chick who can definitely take care of herself.

Mark Wahlberg was blown away at the Clippers game last night, but it had nothing to do with the Clippers rout over the Rockets ... he was mesmerized by Floyd Mayweather's bling.

Mark and Floyd were sitting courtside, not beside each other, when Mark walked over to Floyd to admire his ridiculously expensive bracelet.

Meanwhile, Khloe and Kendall had laser focus on the game ... at least for a second or two.

Tons of stars showed, including Billy Chrystal, Macy Gray, Adam Devine and Bob Odenkirk.

James Harden's mother tells TMZ Sports ... Matt Barnes PERSONALLY APOLOGIZED Wednesday night ... after the L.A. Clippers star hurled an extremely rude comment to her during last night's NBA playoff game.

Monja Willis wouldn't tell us exactly what Barnes said to her at the Toyota Center in Houston during Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals ... saying, "We'll leave that on the court."

What we do know ... Matt's comment really pissed off one of Monja's other sons -- who was sitting next to her during the game and heard it ... and confronted Barnes after the final buzzer.

Willis tells us ... "My older son walked over to him and told him to apologize ... and he did."

Monja says, "What he told me was that he would never want to disrespect anyone's mother because his mother passed from cancer ... and that he was sorry."

Colin Kaepernick has a new enemy -- L.A. Clippers star Matt Barnes ... who just fired a shot at the QB on social media ... and sources tell us the animosity is very real.

Barnes went on Instagram to congratulate Arik Armstead on being drafted by the SF 49ers last night ... and wrote, "Congrats to my young boy #ErikArmstead [sic] proud of you fam. Ur QB a hoe tho!!"

Clearly, the message was directed at Colin.

Multiple sources close to Matt tell us the beef with Kaepernick goes back several years -- and stems from a situation where Matt felt "disrespected" by Colin.

As one source extremely close to Barnes puts it -- "Matt hates his guts."

The Clippers aren't trolling the Lakers by turning the team locker room into an owners lounge for the NBA playoffs -- they asked the team for permission and got it ... TMZ Sports has learned.

There were rumblings that the Clips were trying to diss Laker Nation by using their space at Staples Center as Steve Ballmer's personal hangout area ... since the Clips are still playing and the Lakers didn't even come close to the playoffs.

But it just ain't the case -- at least according to Staples Center honcho Lee Zeidman who tells us there was an arrangement made before the 1st playoff game.

"The team inquired about using the Lakers locker room as a space for the Clippers owner. The Lakers gracefully granted use."

He continued, "People are trying to make something out of this, as if the Clippers are pissing off the Lakers by using their locker room. That's not true at all. We'd never use the Lakers space without asking the team."

V. Stiviano ain't gettin' no sympathy from the Clippers -- with Matt Barnes saying he's GLAD she got crushed in her war with Shelly Sterling ... "it couldn't have happened to a better person."

TMZ Sports spoke with Barnes last night ... and it's clear the dude is NOT a Stiviano fan, despite the fact she played a key role in freeing the team from the clutches of its previous racist owner.

"I'm glad she has to pay every penny back," Barnes said ... referring to the $2.6 MILLION judgment she's forced to pay Shelly for the cars, cash and condo that Donald had given her in the past.

Shelly had previously said she wasn't going after Stiviano for the money -- but because she wanted "justice" for all of the harm she had caused the Sterling family.

Shelly Sterling says she didn't go after V. Stiviano for the money -- SHE WANTED JUSTICE -- and says she plans to give away every single cent she won in her crushing court victory to a charity.

Our sources say ... Shelly was "out for blood" from the start -- and really wanted to put the screws to Stiviano for all the crap she put her family through.

In fact, Shelly told the Associated Press ... her lawsuit was about getting even with Stiviano who had "harmed" her in so many ways.

Of course, Sterling won a $2.6 million judgment against Stiviano -- ordering her to fork over the keys to her $1.8 million condo AND $800,000 in cash.

Sterling says she doesn't even want the money -- 'cause she's a billionaire -- and to prove it, she's giving every cent to a worthy charity.

Donald Sterling had no right to shower V. Stiviano with lavish gifts, no matter how good of an archivist she was, because the loot he used to buy all the goodies wasn't his to give away.

A judge just sided with Shelly Sterling, concluding Shelly was still very much Donald's wife when he pulled his shenanigans -- giving V. a duplex, a Bentley, a Range Rover and a Ferrari totaling $2.6 mil.

But don't roll out the tow truck -- Shelly doesn't want the cars ... she wants the money. According to the ruling, $830k of the $2.6 mil is due in cash -- with $430k earmarked for the value of the vehicles.

V. tried in vain to convince the judge Donald and Shelly were separated at the time she scored the goods, so he had every right to shell out the cash. The judge begged to differ, saying Donald had no right to use the Sterling money to fund V.'s lifestyle.

So the question ... how does V. make it right?

Return, return, return.

Here's video of Blake Griffin leaving Warwick nightclub in Hollywood Wednesday night ... with a smokin' hot mystery lady.

No idea who she is ... are they dating? Are they friends? Casual banging pals? We're workin' on it.

Either way, Blake proved an NBA star can still have a good time at a nightclub without getting stabbed or arrested at the end of the night.

The marriage may be over ... but NBA star Matt Barnes says he's finally made peace with his estranged wife Gloria Govan ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm always gonna love my ex."

We broke the story ... Matt and his reality star wife separated back in September due to "trust issues" and at first, things were pretty nasty between the two.

And even though Matt hasn't formally filed divorce docs yet (we're told it's just a matter of time) ... the L.A. Clippers star told us both sides are finally moving on ... under peaceful circumstances.

"She's always gonna be my homie. She's the mother of my kids," Barnes says.

FYI -- the two were married back in 2012 and have 6-year-old twin boys together.

"She's always gonna be a part of my life ... so I have no ill feelings toward her."

The pimp hand of justice just ruled in Blake Griffin's favor -- because officials have decided to DROP the battery case against the NBA star after they couldn't prove he actually slapped a guy in a Vegas nightclub.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Griffin was charged with battery stemming from an incident at Tao nightclub on October 19th ... when he allegedly put the 5 fingers to some dude's face for snapping a pic without Blake's permission. The man also claimed Blake grabbed his neck and squeezed.

Blake denied the allegations -- and now we're told the charge has been formally dropped after Griffin's attorney Richard Schonfeld provided prosecutors with multiple witness statements contradicting the accuser's story.

Some bad news/good news for L.A. Clippers star Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

The Bad News -- His marriage to his longtime sweetheart and baby mama Jenna Gomez is officially over.

The Good News -- He's got a brand new girlfriend ... and she's a model!!!

Davis and his new flame Jasmin Jaye his up Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills last night where they were on a mission to shoot down rumors that they were dating behind Glen's wife's back.

"I am divorced," Davis said. Davis and Gomez married on December 31st, 2013.

Glen also explained where he and Jasmin met and what first attracted him to her ... and it was all because "she had a big, ol ..."

Kevin Garnett didn't get an employee discount when he bought 1,000 tickets to give away to fans for tonight's Timberwolves game ... dropping more than $20k of his own money, TMZ Sports has learned.

After fans came out in force to attend KG's first game back in Minn. last week, the NBA legend decided to give back ... by hooking up 500 fans with a pair of tix for tonight's game.

Smelled like a team-engineered publicity stunt ... but the V.P. of Communications for the T-Wolves assures us that Kev bought the tickets HIMSELF and paid FULL PRICE for all of 'em.

The rep wouldn't say exactly how much KG spent ... but the cheapest seats go for $21-a-pop.

$21 x 1,000 = $21,000. Not cheap.

KG's career earnings? $315,000,000+ ... so, he can afford it.

Could Jack Nicholson quit on the Lakers completely ... and become a Clippers fan?!

That's what Clippers prodigy Austin Rivers is hoping for ... especially with Jack telling TMZ Sports this week that he's not as obsessed with the Lake Show as he used to be.

Rivers -- the son of Clippers president/coach Doc Rivers -- was out in L.A. and told us, "I'm trying to get him over on our side man!"

Here's the thing ... we already know Jack has pro-Clippers tendencies ... he went to a Clippers playoff game last season. And they definitely have a brighter future than the Lakers.

Plus, Jack already knows his way around the stadium ... since the Clips and the Lakers both play in the Staples Center.

Jeanie Buss ... it might be time to panic.