Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said his team have been deeply affected following the death of fan Tyre Nichols.
Nichols, 29, died on January 10, three days after he was beaten by five police officers after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee.
The five officers have been sacked and charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Police have released bodycam and CCTV footage of the incident, in which Nichols can be heard protesting his innocence and calling for his mother.
The footage was released just prior to the Grizzlies' meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Before the game, Jenkins told Bally Sports: "It's been tough being on the road, not being home.
"I wish I could extend my arms through this camera right now to the family. They're going through a lot.
"The senseless loss of life for Tyre Nichols has really hit us hard."
Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, said in an interview that she felt "sorry" for the officers who killed her son.
"People don’t know what those five police officers did to our family. And they really don’t know what they did to their own families. They have put their own families in harm's way," she said.
"They have brought shame to their own families. They brought shame to the Black community. I just feel sorry for them. I really do. Because they didn't have to do this.
"They had beat him to a pulp. He had bruises all over. His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck was busting because of the swelling. They broke his neck. His nose was like an S.
"They actually just beat the crap out of him, so when I saw him, I knew my son was gone. Even if he did live he would have been a vegetable."
Wells said he cried after seeing the interview, though disclosed after Friday's 111-100 defeat that he had not watched the disturbing footage of the arrest and subsequent beating.
"There's way harder things on in the city versus what's going on with our basketball right now," Jenkins told reporters.
"I'm proud of our guys going out there. We're playing with heavy hearts, but we're also playing for our city that's going through a lot right now.
"My words will only mean so much. I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other.
"To put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols – who I did not know, but I'm learning about.
"Our guys are still grappling with everything going on. We have been just getting all the updates over the last couple of days on this road trip.
"No one's been able to see the video but we do know of a tragedy that's taking place and just trying to grapple with that so there's still ongoing dialogues; everything's on the table to how we want to support our city, support the Nichols family."
Nichols' death has echoes of the murder of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis in 2020, sparking civil rights protests and riots in the United States and many other nations.
The Grizzlies were among several NBA teams to release statements, with Memphis saying they were "distraught to find ourselves dealing with a needless loss of life due to police brutality".
An NBA statement read: "The images of Tyre Nichols' life needlessly cut short are horrifying.
"While there have been steps toward accountability in this instance, the NBA family remains committed to partnering with advocates, policymakers and law enforcement to work toward solutions to the issues we continue to face."
Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis said there was a "disregard of basic human rights" and called the officers' actions "heinous, reckless and inhumane".
Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms
United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.
Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.
Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.
The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.
“We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.
"We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'
"We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."
Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.
"This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.
After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.
Durant warns Team USA 'everybody is a contender' in Olympic basketball tournament
Kevin Durant has warned Team USA they will not have an easy ride through the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, declaring: "Everybody is a contender".
The United States will go in search of a fifth straight men's basketball gold in the French capital, where they open their Group C campaign against Serbia on Sunday.
After that meeting with Nikola Jokic and company, the star-studded USA team featuring Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and a host of other NBA stars take on South Sudan and Puerto Rico.
With Steve Kerr having so much talent at his disposal, the roster has been compared to that of the 1992 'Dream Team', who took gold in Barcelona behind the efforts of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and other great names.
However, at a press conference ahead of Team USA's 2024 opener, Curry reminded reporters that the class of 1992 only faced nine other active NBA players.
Durant is expecting a much tougher assignment this year, responding to Curry by saying: "Everybody is a contender. Everyone is here for a reason.
"We're playing against 65 or 64 NBA players in Paris. So you know they're the best in the world."
Asked to identify the main players to watch from other nations, the Phoenix Suns forward said: "Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or Jokic."
While Durant adopted a cautious tone, Golden State Warriors star Curry was more bullish regarding the USA's gold medal hopes.
Quizzed on who he was most excited about facing, Curry simply said: "Whoever's in the gold medal game."
Knicks, head coach Thibodeau agree to three-year contract extension
The New York Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau have agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
New York went 50-32 last season to earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the semi-finals of the play-offs.
The Knicks were also ousted in the East semis in 2022-23 and reached the play-offs during Thibodeau’s first season in 2021-22, when he won his second NBA Coach of the Year award.
Prior to 2021-22, New York’s previous post-season appearance came in 2013.
The Knicks have gone 175-143 over the last four seasons under Thibodeau, who earned his first NBA Coach of the Year award in 2011 as a rookie head coach with the Chicago Bulls.
The 66-year-old Thibodeau owns a 527-389 record in 12 seasons as a head coach with Chicago, the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York.
His teams have gone 38-47 in the post-season, and Thibodeau’s only appearance in the conference finals came in his rookie head coach season.
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