The Denver Nuggets staved off elimination on Tuesday night, beating the Golden State Warriors 107-100 to extend their best-of-seven first-round series to a sixth game. It was a frustrating night for Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry, who came into Game 5 on an absolutely torrid run over his past three games (30 points per game on 55.4 percent shooting from the field and a 14-for-28 mark from 3-point land) but struggled at the Pepsi Center, missing 12 of his 19 shots and six of his seven long balls en route to a sluggish 15-point, eight-assist, four-rebound outing.

The frustration appeared to boil over when Curry exited the floor after the final buzzer, as TNT's cameras caught the star point guard stopping his egress to confront a heckling fan seated next to the tunnel through which the players travel to the locker room:

Asked after the game what transpired as he walked off the court, Curry offered this response:

Perfect. (Photo via @s13mag)

Guys, we're all having a lot of fun focusing on the 2013 NBA playoffs — so much fun that we might have forgotten that today makes six weeks since Andrew Bynum had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both of his cursed knees. I wonder how he's feeling, and if he's having any fun.

No worries, guys. He's having fun flamenco dancing in what appears to be a Ferrari jacket at Cafe de Chinitas in Madrid, Spain, where he's spending some time on an early offseason vacation, which is the kind of thing you can do when your team doesn't have to worry about the playoffs. (Bynum also took in a nice meal at Basque restaurant Mesón Txistu and had a nice time at a Real Madrid match.)

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings fan Barbara Rust celebrate on Monday. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: SB Nation and NBA.com. In light of the NBA Board of Governors Relocation Committee's unanimous recommendation that the Sacramento Kings not be moved to Seattle, Tom Ziller considers Sacramento's three-part blueprint for staving off relocation, while Scott Howard-Cooper takes stock of the 12-0 verdict and the reasons behind it — the committee "did not vote against Seattle as much as it voted for Sacramento."

PF: CelticsBlog. I really enjoyed this post by Jeff Clark about confronting the eventuality of Paul Pierce's departure from the Boston Celtics, not only from an emotional perspective (where he says he'll miss "The Truth" on a level "that borders on feelings I have for extended family"), but also a practical on-court matter, because despite the All-Star appearances, the deep playoff runs and that one title, he's not sure he and Celtics fans really appreciate what they've had for the past 15 years.

Earl Monroe and Bubba Smith (Getty Images)

This is altogether more lighthearted news than the story Eric Freeman brought you earlier this month about Earl Monroe’s dalliances with the ABA’s Indiana Pacers. While promoting his new book "Earl the Pearl: My Story," Monroe told Sports on Earth’s Will Leitch about a harrowing encounter with a very, very illegal and dangerous drug: PCP, commonly known as “angel dust.” Earl the Pearl apparently ingested the stuff at a party at former Baltimore Colt (and future Police Academy repertory player) Bubba Smith’s house. Unaware of what he was smoking, Monroe did not enjoy his experience.

If you don’t have time to listen to the podcast, The Washington Post’s Sarah Kogod thankfully transcribed the discussion for all to see, and we very much appreciate her putting these words on HTML record. Not that Monroe could see anything, after getting wet. Here’s Pearl’s tale of woe:

But Bubba was a great guy, and he was one of the only athletes that I knew that lived in downtown Baltimore. And so, he had a great apartment and he threw a lot of parties. And this one particular evening, I was at his party and there was this guy who came up to me and asked me…he said, ‘Hey Earl. Do you wanna do this?’ I said, ‘What is that?’ He said, ‘Aw, man. Just take a toke. Don’t take to much.’ And I said ‘Alright.’

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol discuss the work of Ansel Adams (Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty).

It was a tough season for Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol, one filled with injuries, a marginalized role, and consistent trade rumors. Under these circumstances, the Lakers' exit from the playoffs might come as something of a relief for him, apart from the essential pain of losing. Yet, as the Lakers head into an uncertain future, it looks as if Gasol might be at the end of his time with the team.

On Tuesday, Gasol had his exit interview with the team at Staples Center. (Visit Yahoo!'s own Marc Spears's Twitter page for substantive updates on what he had to say.) In the midst of several comments on his preparation for a potential trade, Gasol revealed some exciting news about his future plans off the court. From Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com on Twitter:

Pau Gasol reveals he's working on a photography book with inspirational messages from his life off the court

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 30, 2013

Um, when will this book be available for purchase? Can I buy it yesterday?

Jason Collins during an exhibition game in October of 2012 (Getty Images)

For many, the most surprising takeaway from Jason Collins’ revelation of his sexuality on Monday was the news that Collins wore the No. 98 during the 2012-13 season as a tribute to Matthew Shepard. Shepard was an openly gay University of Wyoming student who was brutally tortured and murdered in a hate crime in October of 1998. The fact that we had been watching one of the more poignant tributes in sports history during the waning moments of Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards games this year came as a huge, and most welcome, surprise.

[Also: Jason Collins gave teammate a heads up before announcement]

Shepard’s parents, Dennis and Judy, felt the same. They learned of Collins’ announcement and his tribute as we did on Monday morning, and reacted exactly as you’d expect them to. From an exclusive interview with FOX Sports’ Sam Gardner:

“It made me cry,” Judy Shepard told FOXSports.com during an interview Monday afternoon. “It was really quite a tribute, and I was very honored. And I know Matt would be thrilled.”

Chris Gatling celebrates the Mavericks winning the 1996 Mexico City Challenge. (Barry Gossage/NBA/Getty Images)One-time NBA All-Star Chris Gatling faces criminal charges after Arizona police say he illegally occupied a Paradise Valley, Ariz., home for more than a year, and then tried to rent the place on Craigslist, according to the Arizona Republic:

Chris Gatling is accused of breaking into a key box and living in the home from July 2010 to August 2011. A police report says the homeowners lived in California but had left the power on.

The TV station reports that he later listed the four-bedroom house for rent for $800 and called it an “Ex-NBA” home online.

Court records say that Gatling got a down payment from one potential renter but that another got suspicious and contacted police.

Gatling’s attorney, Michael Alarid, said the case is a “misunderstanding.”

It very well could be. Everyone's innocent until proven guilty in this country, and besides, misunderstood stuff goes up on Craigslist all the time.

Gatling has also been accused of forging personal checks from his ex-girlfriend and "funneling the money through College Bound All-Stars, a traveling youth basketball league that Gatling managed and operated," according to Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO-TV.

How can you call this wonderful man "heartless?" (Getty Images)

Heading into Game 5 of their series with the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets were coming off what could have been a dispiriting (and stamina-killing) triple-overtime loss in Game 4. The team had plenty of chances to turn the tide and take back home-court advantage while in Chicago, but because the 63-minute marathon that didn’t go in their favor, the Nets were facing an often insurmountable 3-1 deficit in their first-round pairing as Monday evening set in.

Instead of boring his team with 63 minutes of game tape and adjustments, Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo dialed up this YouTube clip of Chicago Sun-Times columnist (and noted not all that swell of a guy) Joe Cowley, talking up some internal Chicago Bulls monologue that he is apparently privy to. Watch Cowley here: