Jacque Vaughn is joining the Brooklyn Nets as the top assistant to new head coach Kenny Atkinson.

Vaughn was head coach of the Orlando Magic from 2012 until 2015, posting a 43-121 record.

Vaughn spent the 2015-16 season in the San Antonio Spurs’ front office as a pro personnel director.

Sean Marks worked closely with Vaughn during their shared time together with the Spurs.

Kevin Durant spoke highly of Gregg Popovich hours before the start of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Durant will be a free agent in the offseason.

“No matter how many moving parts they have on the team, he always stays consistent with what he does,” Durant said.

“Having a coach, a really good coach is probably the most important thing in this league. Because you can have all the great players you want, but if you have someone to orchestrate it, that’s what they have. They’ve got great players, but they also have a great coach to put them in positions that utilizes all their strengths as individuals and make it come together as a team.”

The Los Angeles Lakers moved quickly on hiring Luke Walton as head coach after their interview with him on Thursday in Oakland.

The Lakers had plans to interview Ettore Messina at some point next week between Games 2 and 3 of the San Antonio Spurs' series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they canceled following Walton's interview.

Walton and Messina quickly emerged as the top candidates for the Lakers' job after they fired Byron Scott.

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 116-95, clinching a 4-0 series win.

Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points on 6/10 shooting from the field and 7/7 from the line on Sunday.

As the #2 seed in the Western Conference, the Spurs will face the winner of the Thunder/Mavericks series which Oklahoma City currently leads 3-1. Game Five of that series will take place on Monday in Oklahoma City.

Kawhi Leonard has been named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Draymond Green finished second as he did last season, while Hassan Whiteside finished third.

Leonard received 84 first-place votes and 547 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Green received 44 first-place votes and 421 total points, while Whiteside was third with 83 points.

DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap, Avery Bradley, Rudy Gobert and Tony Allen each received five or more points.

Green accepted the win by Leonard more this season.

"I felt robbed last year (because Kawhi played fewer games). I didn't feel robbed this year," said Green.

The Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs led the NBA in fewest catch-and-shoot three-pointers allowed per 100 possessions with fewer than 16.0.

The Warriors were first with 15.4 catch-and-shoot three-pointers allowed per 100, followed by the Pistons with 15.5 and the Spurs with 15.8.

The Milwaukee Bucks ranked last in the category with 22.2 catch-and-shoot three-pointers allowed per 100. The Bucks regressed badly as a defensive unit from 14-15 to 15-16.

1. Warriors: 15.4
2. Pistons: 15.5
3. Spurs: 15.8
4. 76ers: 16.3
5. Heat: 16.8
6. Clippers: 17.4
7. Blazers: 17.4
8. Knicks: 17.4
9. Celtics: 17.6
10. Bulls: 17.6
11. Cavs: 17.6
12. Thunder: 17.7
13. Wizards: 17.7
14. Jazz: 17.9
15. Suns: 18.5
16. Hawks: 18.6
17. Wolves: 18.8
18. Pelicans: 18.9
19. Lakers: 19.2
20. Pacers: 19.5
21. Raptors: 19.6
22. Nuggets: 19.8
23. Nets: 20.1
24. Rockets: 20.4
25. Grizzlies: 20.5
26. Kings: 20.5
27. Magic: 20.7
28. Mavs: 20.9
29. Hornets: 20.9
30. Bucks: 22.2

The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs played four times this season with the defending champions winning three of the games.

The Warriors and Spurs have been the NBA's best two teams this season and are widely expected to meet in the Western Conference Finals.

Four Regular Season 15-16 Games (Points per 100 possessions):
Date: Warriors/Spurs
Jan. 25: 116.1-87.1 (+29.0 Warriors)
Mar. 19: 90.7-99.9 (+9.2 Spurs)
Apr. 7: 118.0-106.4 (+11.6 Warriors)
Apr. 10: 102.7-96.0 (+6.7 Warriors)

On a per average game basis, the Warriors had an efficiency differential of +9.5 but most of that damage was done in the blowout in January.

The Spurs will have a better season efficiency differential than the Warriors despite having a lesser record.

The San Antonio Spurs plan on playing their full team on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors.

The Spurs remain undefeated at home.

"Everyone is going to play," said Popovich.

The Spurs have strategically rested players throughout the season and will do so again on Friday at the Denver Nuggets.

Quin Snyder complimented the adaptability of Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.

Snyder was head coach of the Austin Spurs from 2007 until 2010 and was part of the Spurs' general ecosystem.

"I think one of the many remarkable things about Coach Pop and the Spurs is their adaptability," Snyder said. "If you think a short time ago, they set the bar on a style of play, the ball movement and the spacing and the passing and the cutting.

"The fact that Golden State's doing more of that now, to me, is indicative of Golden State's team and how good they are and the way they play. It fits their personnel. And now the way San Antonio plays is reflective of their personnel, and I just think it shows ... more evidence of how good Coach Pop is at figuring out how to use players in a way that they can be most successful.

"I think the consistent part is their defense," he said of the Spurs' success. "Their defense is good every year and looks relatively the same in that they're hard to score against. And offensively, I feel like, to me, teams adjust to what they're good at. You don't see National League (baseball) teams that play in massive ballparks getting away from pitching and defense. You're gonna reflect what your surroundings are."