Phoenix Suns

Charles Barkley went scorched earth on the people throwing coaches Darvin Ham and Frank Vogel under the bus for the Lakers and Suns' early exit from the NBA playoffs ... saying the real blame for their woes should go on the folks putting together these "trash-ass" teams.

Ham and Vogel have been at the center of criticism following the first round of the postseason ... with many claiming their two squads would be better off with someone else at the helm.

Chuck's clearly heard enough ... 'cause the Hall of Famer unloaded on the notion during TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Wednesday -- calling out other outlets for pushing the narrative.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were forced to finish their series-clinching win over the Phoenix Suns without Chris Finch -- the head coach suffered a painful knee injury after his own player crashed into him on the sidelines ... and it was so bad, he had to be helped off the court.

The unfortunate incident went down in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter on Sunday ... when Wolves guard Mike Conley took the ball up the court and bumped into Suns star Devin Booker.

Conley tumbled toward the sideline right where Finch was standing ... and the momentum forced him down to the hardwood, despite the hooper trying to brace his fall.

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant had a pregame exchange with two fans ahead of Thursday night's game ... confronting the Mavericks supporters after being called a "bitch."

The whole exchange was captured on video ... showing KD running out of the tunnel for warmups -- but coming to a screeching halt after hearing the word hurled his way.

Durant quickly approached the two fans -- who appeared to have great seats for the game -- and they went back and forth for a good 30 seconds before the two-time NBA champ waved his hand in disgust and rejoined his teammates.

Of course, the NBA has a history of kicking heckling fans out of games at a player's request ... and it appeared the pair of Dallas backers were about to be escorted out of American Airlines Center before Durant returned to the scene and intervened.

It's unclear what was said between Durant and the fans ... but according to reporter Jonah Javad, the hooper saved them from getting the boot.

As for the game, Durant finished with 23 points and six rebounds ... but the Suns fell to the Mavs, 123-113.

The assault charge Isaiah Stewart had been facing for allegedly socking Drew Eubanks in the face was dismissed on Thursday ... after prosecutors said the Phoenix Suns player didn't want to move forward with the case against the Detroit Pistons center.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, officials filed a motion in Arizona to dismiss the case this week ... explaining Eubanks "no longer desires prosecution in this matter."

A judge signed off on the motion a short time later -- putting Stewart in the clear.

The 22-year-old was slated to have a hearing in the case on Friday -- less than two weeks after cops say witnesses told them he had punched Eubanks in the parking tunnel of the Footprint Center following an argument just before they were slated to compete in a game against each other.

But, a court official tells us the hearing has now been scrapped following the dismissal of the case.

Stewart, however, was still punished by the NBA for his involvement in the altercation ... the league said Thursday it was hitting him with a three-game ban without pay.

Kevin Durant is now a certified hyphenate celeb -- athlete-rapper, that is -- and the title comes courtesy of his collab with Stalley on a track called “Scared Money.”

Stalley tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he and KD shot the video a couple of weeks ago in NYC … a full circle moment after recording the track last summer.

KD was feeling ambitious and asked Stalley to send him a beat, and their mutual friend Travonne Edwards suggested the boom-bap instrumental that became “Scared Money.”

Stalley says the collab came organically … KD sent over his verse faster than some of the full-time rappers he’s worked with in the past!!!

The track will live on Stalley’s upcoming album “Peerless” which drops in March.

He has a show on Friday in Cincy but will have to wait to perform it live with KD -- the Phoenix Suns star will be in Indy this weekend as a starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

Kevin Durant es ahora un atelta rapero certificado y el título viene por cortesía de su colaboración con Stalley en una pista llamada "Scared Money".

Stalley le dice a TMZ Hip Hop que él y Kevin filmaron el video hace un par de semanas en Nueva York, un gran momento luego de grabar la pista el verano pasado.

Kevin se sentía ambicioso y le pidió a Stalley que le enviara un ritmo, y su amigo común Travonne Edwards sugirió el instrumental boom-bap que se convirtió en "Scared Money".

Stalley dice que la colaboración vino orgánicamente cuando Kevin le envió su verso más rápido que algunos de los raperos a tiempo completo con los que ha trabajado en el pasado.

El tema aparecerá en el próximo álbum de Stalley "Peerless" que saldrá en Marzo.

Él tiene un show el viernes, pero tendrá que esperar para realizarlo en vivo con Kevin, la estrella de Phoenix Suns estará ahí este fin de semana como titular para el 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

11:20 AM PT -- Isaiah Stewart's attorney, Alex Spiro, clearly believes the situation has been blown out of proportion, telling TMZ Sports ... "Isaiah was issued a ticket -- not arrested -- and we expect the case to be dismissed."

Spiro also added that I.S. was not put in handcuffs ... and was released after receiving the citation.

Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was arrested for allegedly assaulting Suns forward Drew Eubanks during an altercation before Detroit's game against Phoenix on Wednesday.

The Phoenix Police Department said in a statement the alleged incident occurred in a parking tunnel at Footprint Arena in Arizona at around 4:45 PM -- roughly an hour before tip-off.

Cops said when officers arrived on the scene, they spoke with several bystanders ... who told them the two athletes had gotten into a verbal altercation as they arrived at the arena that turned violent.

"Witnesses said the argument escalated when they saw Stewart punch Eubanks, causing a minor injury," the Phoenix PD said in its statement. "Both men were separated by security which ended the fight."

A short time later, police said they arrested Stewart for assault ... and issued a citation. He was released -- but cops say the investigation remains ongoing.

The Pistons said they were aware of the incident ... adding that they're "in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities."

Kevin Durant -- who was traded to the Suns in 2023 -- spoke about the situation after the game ... calling it "unfortunate." He did say, though, the team has Drew's back.

"It’s supposed to be a brotherhood," Durant said. "But I also understand, dudes get into stuff. We try to avoid that in this league, hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew."

Stewart -- a first-round pick in 2020 -- is averaging 11 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. He gained national notoriety in 2021 after he got into a physical altercation with LeBron James on the court.

Eubanks, meanwhile, signed with the Suns last year after playing for the Blazers and Spurs. He's currently averaging 5.7 points per game.

Kevin Durant's career portfolio is expanding into hip hop music ... the NBA superstar appears to have shot a new music video with rapper Stalley, and he's delivering autobiographical bars!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a video of KD and Stalley vibin' to an audio recording of them while watching basketball highlights on TV ... and the NBA All-Star starter sounds like he's got a lot to get off his chest.

The raps appear to be a classic back-and-forth ... Stalley opens the track by championing his own independent hustle and stress-release practices.

KD eulogizes his late grandmother ... "RIP to Barbara Davis/We hit another layer/When she speak to me, it's like she saying prayers."

He was just named as a starter in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, his 14th appearance, but but gripes about aging players getting discriminated against ... by comparing himself to Randy Moss during the Hall of Fame wide receiver's time with the Oakland Raiders.

Stalley, the Ohio-born rapper, had stints playing college hoops and was also on Rick Ross' Maybach Music label -- so, it's ideal he and KD would spark up a friendship.

KD's worn his hip hop fandom on his sleeve his entire b-ball career and the love has been reciprocated ... Drake, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Kash Doll and several other rap stars have interacted with him, and name-checked him in songs.

La carrera de Kevin Durant se está expandiendo en la música hip hop, la superestrella de la NBA parece haber rodado un nuevo video musical con el rapero Stalley, ¡y está hablando de su vida personal!

TMZ Hip Hop obtuvo un video de Kevin y Stalley disfrutando de los mejores momentos del baloncesto en la televisión y el All-Star de la NBA suena como si tuviera mucho que decir.

Los chicos parecen estar acostumbrados a este tipo de panoramas para relajarse y compartir ideas.

Kevin elogia a su difunta abuela... "RIP to Barbara Davis/We hit another layer/Cuando ella me habla, es como si dijera oraciones".

Acaba de ser nombrado titular en el Juego de las Estrellas de la NBA 2024, es su aparición número 14, pero se queja de que los jugadores mayores son discriminados, comparándose con Randy Moss durante el tiempo en que el receptor abierto miembro del Salón de la Fama estuvo con los Raiders de Oakland.

Stalley -el rapero nacido en Ohio- pasó temporadas jugando en la universidad y también estaba en Rick Ross, por lo que es ideal que él y Kevin se hagan amigos.

Kevin ha llevado su fandom del hip hop hacia su carrera en el basketball y el amor ha sido recíproco, Drake, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Kash Doll y varias otras estrellas del rap han interactuado con él y lo nombró en las canciones.

An overzealous Kevin Durant fan was doin' TOO much at the Suns-Nets game ... so much so that Barclays Center security got irritated, forcing the man to put his ass in an arena seat!

The hilarious moment was caught by YES Network cameras and shared on social media Thursday morning, a day after the Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets, 136-120, in KD's return to Barclays.

A super excited fan wearing a Durant Nets jersey was seen standing up at his seat, pointing and making heart-hand gestures, presumably in KD's direction.

The moment quickly turned cringy as the guy kept goin' on and on ... until security had enough, confronting the dude, and quickly making him take a seat.

Social media thought it was hilarious ... with one person saying, "My boy said STFU and sit-down!"

Another said, "KD laughin at this one when he sees it."

It's not the first time a fan got a bit overeager with their favorite hooper ... remember last month when someone ran up on LeBron James as he sat on the Lakers bench.

The NBA legend was caught off guard, and responded by physically shoving the guy away before security intervened.

Luka Doncic was in a testy mood Wednesday night ... first, he ejected a fan for heckling him -- and then he beefed with a journalist for reporting on the incident afterward.

It all started during the Mavericks vs. Suns tilt at American Airlines Center in Dallas ... when a Devin Booker supporter allegedly ribbed Doncic from his courtside seat.

Luka said the trash talk happened throughout the game ... and, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Mavs superstar had enough after the fan had screamed for him to "get your ass on the treadmill!"

Video from inside the arena shows Doncic appeared to wave to a referee after the comment had been made ... before the guy was seen leaving the area.

Luka and the Mavs went on to lose, 132-109 ... and once he stepped to the postgame podium, it wasn't hard to see he was annoyed at MacMahon for sharing details of the incident with the public.

"I knew you would be the first one to point out something like that," Doncic said. "It's just funny. You always seem to be the first one to put some bad stuff about me."

Luka seemed pissed that the treadmill comment was the only jab MacMahon had reported. But, when the 24-year-old was pressed to reveal what the fan had actually done/said to make him seek an ejection ... he declined to get into specifics -- only saying the barbs had flown all night long.

"I'm just saying," Doncic told MacMahon, "you seem to be the first one to always put something bad about me."

"I never would eject a fan," he continued. "They pay for tickets. But I had enough, you know? It's a little bit of frustration."

Kevin Durant was utterly shocked after finding out about Joel Embiid's career night ... hilariously reacting in real time as he praised the Philadelphia 76ers superstar's 70-point outing.

K.D. -- who dropped 43 in the Phoenix Suns' 115-113 win over the Chicago Bulls -- met with reporters after his own great performance ... and he gave an unfiltered response when asked about the 29-year-old center's stat line against the San Antonio Spurs.

"70?! He had 70?! S***," K.D. said in disbelief ... while also giving Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns props for his 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets.

The question was centered around the current state of the NBA ... and after Durant wrapped his head around Embiid's offensive clinic, he gave a thoughtful take.

"The skill level in this league is insane and actually the coaching, the schemes on offense is insane," K.D. said. "You seen so many different sets being run for bigs to get threes."

"Coaches are being way more creative to put their best players in great positions to get those numbers and you got shooters all around the floor, you got penetrators. I mean, this is the peak of basketball, in my opinion."

"It's insane what we got going on."

Embiid finished his night with 70 points (a Sixers franchise record), 18 rebounds and five assists ... and his teammates went nuts for him in the locker room to celebrate the accomplishment.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker had to wait a few extra seconds to get their second half started on Tuesday night ... and it's all 'cause a puppy peed on their court.

Fur real!!!

The hilarious moment went down as the Suns brought out a gaggle of young dogs to race during the halftime break in Phoenix's matchup against the Sacramento Kings at Footprint Center in Arizona.

The contest started out innocently enough -- the pups cutely loitered around the starting line ... before one of the doggos was lured out by some cheerleaders with toys.

As they tried to get the puppy to cross the checkered finish, though, he had to paw-se to relieve himself!!

The race still continued despite the puddle near halfcourt ... before, mercifully, one of the furry friends finally touched the finish line.

While it took a few beats to get the area all cleaned up ... Durant and Booker were ultimately able to take the floor again -- and it's a good thing for the Suns, because they helped the team storm back from a deficit to win the game, 119-117.

Of course, the team is kind of used to overcoming these messy halftime moments ... just a year ago, a dog did the same thing during the same race!

Emma Stone couldn't contain her excitement during her beloved Suns' big win over the Lakers ... going right up to the Phoenix bench and dapping up Devin Booker and Bradley Beal!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the "Poor Things" actress making her way out of Crypto.com Arena in the closing minutes of her team's 127-109 road win on Thursday ... and as she walked by the players, she made sure to show some serious love.

In the clip, you can see Stone -- who grew up in Arizona -- go right up to Book and Co. and express her excitement over the dub. The TV broadcast caught a bit of the interaction, too ... which also included a wave to Grayson Allen.

Book and Beal certainly deserved the special moment with the A-lister ... as they had 31 and 37 points in the contest, respectively.

Stone -- who attended the game with PT director Yorgos Lanthimos and costar Ramy Youssef (in the blue beanie in the vid) -- was reppin' PHX throughout the night ... rocking a team hat as she enjoyed the action from her courtside seat.

Draymond Green is going to be away from the Golden State Warriors for a while ... the NBA hit him with an indefinite suspension after he smacked one of his opponents in the face.

The NBA says Draymond's "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts" is playing into his indefinite suspension.

Draymond was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns ... when he got way too physical with Jusuf Nurkic, whacking him in the head with a hard right hand during a scrap in the third quarter. Draymond was hit with a flagrant foul 2 and booted from the game.

It's the second suspension for Draymond already this NBA season ... he was hit with a 5-game ban just last month after putting Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

The NBA says Draymond's suspension will begin immediately -- the Warriors play the Clippers Thursday night -- and "he will be required to meet certain league and team conditions" before being reinstated.

Draymond is expected to meet Thursday with Warriors brass and his agent Rich Paul to discuss counseling ... according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

LeBron James passionately defended Anthony Davis from the critics following the Lakers' win over the Suns on Thursday ... making it clear their locker room doesn't "give a s***" about the outside noise.

The King and Co. squeezed out a 100-95 win over Kevin Durant and Phoenix at Crypto.com Arena ... large in part thanks to AD's 30 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Of course, Davis received a bunch of negative reviews after disappearing in the second half of the Lake Show's season opener against the Nuggets ... when he went scoreless in the final two periods of the losing effort.

LBJ was asked about the hate directed toward his teammate following Thursday's tilt ... and he didn't hold back in his response.

"We don't give a s*** about criticism about AD," LeBron said. "We don't care. Nothing bothers us. AD doesn't care. I don't know if guys have figured that out. A.D. does not care."

"He's not on social media. So he doesn't see none of the crap. He rarely talks, unless it's us. So, we don't give a s*** about it and he definitely doesn't. He's going to do his job, but we happy to have A.D."

LeBron calmed down a bit after his fiery comments ... approaching Durant's mom, Wanda, and sharing a special moment with her.