Basketball Page 2 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Hornets seek 1st playoff berth in 10 years in play-in game at Magic
For the Charlotte Hornets, winning Friday night's play-in game and earning the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference would cement the 2025-26 season as one of the most successful campaigns in recent franchise history.,Even with a win Friday, the Orlando Magic will have a lot more work to do ...
Suns hope to avoid unfortunate history in play-in finale vs. Warriors
After letting a chance at advancing out of the NBA play-in tournament slip away Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns will look to bounce back in an elimination game Friday.,The Suns will host the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale, with the winner advancing to take on the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thun...
Damon Jones to plead guilty to selling insider info to bettors
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones will plead guilty to charges of selling insider info about players' injuries to sports bettors, ABC reported Thursday.,Jones, 49, requested a hearing to change his plea and is expected to appear before a judge in Brooklyn on April 28. Jones, who originally ple...
Wizards intend for coach Brian Keefe to return in 2026-27
The Washington Wizards want Brian Keefe to return as head coach in the 2026-27 season.,General manager Will Dawkins said Thursday at his end-of-season news conference that he expects Keefe to be back, despite a 43-160 record in two-plus seasons. That includes a league-worst 17-65 this season.,The Wi...
Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham now eligible for awards
Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham are eligible for postseason awards after winning their challenges to the 65-game rule, the NBA and the players union announced Thursday.,Both players had filed "extraordinary circumstances" challenges to a rule that requires players to appear in at least 65 games to b...
LeBron James Needs One More Miracle To Carry Lakers Without Doncic, Reaves
With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out, the Lakers will rely heavily on LeBron James in a tough first-round matchup vs the Rockets....
Al Horford's late treys carry Warriors to play-in win over Clippers
Al Horford connected on four 3-pointers in the final 5:37 of a Western Conference play-in game, lifting the 10th-place Golden State Warriors to a 126-121 win over the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.,Golden State advances to a sudden-death matchup against the Suns i...
Tyrese Maxey (31 points) sends 76ers past Magic, into playoffs
Tyrese Maxey scored 11 of his team-high 31 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night for the host Philadelphia 76ers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Orlando Magic 109-97 in a play-in game.,The 76ers, who finished in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 45...
WNBA draft second-most watched ever with 1.5M viewers
With uncertainty over the identity of the top overall pick and new NCAA champion UCLA producing a record number of selections, the WNBA draft drew its second-highest viewership total ever on Monday.,According to ESPN, 1.5 million watched the event, a 20% increase from last year's draft. The audience...
NBA gives LaMelo Ball fine, but no suspension, for tripping Bam Adebayo
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was fined by the NBA but not suspended for tripping Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo during Charlotte's play-in victory on Tuesday night.,The NBA completed its assessment of the incident on Wednesday, and it handed Ball a $35,000 fine for the play and retroactively assessed a fl...
Liberty re-sign F Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
The New York Liberty re-signed forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to a contract on Wednesday.,Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team for Laney-Hamilton, who helped the Liberty capture the WNBA title in 2024.,Laney-Hamilton, however, missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing a procedure i...
A'ja Wilson, Aces make history with reported supermax contract
Four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson reportedly made history on Wednesday, and she didn't even step on the court.,Wilson re-signed with the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday.,Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Aces. However, ESPN reported it was a three-year, $5 million supermax contract that is fully ...
Hornets, Trail Blazers Set the Tone for Wild NBA Postseason
The NBA play-in tournament opened with drama, as the Hornets and Trail Blazers delivered thrilling wins and playoff implications....
Fever add backcourt depth, sign G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough signed a contract with the Indiana Fever on Wednesday.,Terms of the deal were not announced by the team for Walker-Kimbrough.,"Shatori is a versatile guard who adds depth to our backcourt rotation," Fever chief operating officer and general manager Amber Cox said. "She...
Report: NBA reviewing LaMelo Ball's trip of Bam Adebayo
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball could face a league punishment for tripping Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo during Charlotte's play-in victory on Tuesday night.,NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Wednesday that the league is reviewing the second-quarter incident, which knocked Adebayo out of the do-or-die game...
Heat left fuming over LaMelo Ball's trip that injured Bam Adebayo
LaMelo Ball wound up as the hero for the Charlotte Hornets in their play-in victory over the Heat on Tuesday, but Miami coach Erik Spoelstra believes Ball should have been ejected from the game in the first half.,Ball tripped Heat star Bam Adebayo early in the second quarter, pulling on his left ank...
Deni Avdija's late heroics lift Blazers past Suns, into playoffs
Deni Avdija scored 41 points, and his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining capped the Portland Trail Blazers' comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 114-110 victory over the host Phoenix Suns in a play-in game Tuesday.,The Trail Blazers ended a four-year playoff drought and w...
Late OT heroics lift Hornets over Heat in play-in game
LaMelo Ball hit a go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left and Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell's shot at the buzzer as the Charlotte Hornets beat the visiting Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime on Tuesday to advance in the play-in tournament.,Ball scored 30 points and Bridges added 28 for No. 9 seed C...
Alysha Clark, 38, signs free agent deal with Wings
Alysha Clark, the WNBA's oldest active player at 38, will aim to win a league championship with a third team after agreeing to a free agent contract with the Dallas Wings on Tuesday.,The team confirmed the addition of Clark without specifying the terms of the deal. Clark's agent told ESPN that the f...
Miami's Bam Adebayo exits play-in game with injury
Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo exited Tuesday's play-in game against the host Charlotte Hornets early in the second quarter after taking a hard fall on his backside near the basket.,Adebayo was able to stand up and walk slowly to the locker room for evaluation. He was injured on a play where LaMelo Bal...