Basketball Page 12 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NBA roundup: Magic continue playoff push with win over Pistons
Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Desmond Bane added 25 as the Orlando Magic withstood a fourth-quarter rally and closed on a 14-2 run to beat the visiting Detroit Pistons 123-107 on Monday.,Anthony Black contributed 14 points off the bench for Orlando, which won for the fourth time in the past fi...

Aaron Gordon's clutch shooting leads Nuggets' comeback over Trail Blazers
Aaron Gordon's clutch outside shooting helped the Denver Nuggets rally from being down by as many as 18 points to top the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 137-132 in overtime Monday.,Denver (51-28) trailed for nearly all of regulation before taking a 125-123 lead with 27 seconds remaining when Gordon...

Stephon Castle’s fifth career triple-double helps Spurs beat 76ers
Stephon Castle produced his fifth career triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to lead a balanced San Antonio attack as the host Spurs defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 115-102 on Monday.,The Spurs played the second half without star center Victor Wembanyama, who sat out with a left...

Cavs wipe out deficit, extend surge with win over Grizzlies
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to defeat the host Memphis Grizzlies 142-126 Monday night and secure the 14th 50-win season in franchise history.,Evan Mobley led the Cavs (50-29) with 24 points, while Dennis Schroder added 22 points and 11 assists and Sam Merrell score...

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (shoulder) won’t return vs. 76ers
San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama will not play in the second half of Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers after suffering a left rib contusion during a first-half collision with the 76ers' Paul George.,Wembanyama went to the Spurs' locker room twice in the second quarter after...

Magic continue playoff push with win over Pistons
Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Desmond Bane added 25 as the Orlando Magic withstood a fourth-quarter rally and closed on a 14-2 run to beat the visiting Detroit Pistons 123-107 on Monday.,Anthony Black contributed 14 points off the bench for Orlando, which won for the fourth time in the past fi...

Jalen Brunson's huge fourth quarter powers Knicks over Hawks
Jalen Brunson hit the tiebreaking basket with 29.8 seconds remaining and prevented CJ McCollum from getting off a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the visiting New York Knicks outlasted the Atlanta Hawks for a 108-105 victory on Monday night in a possible playoff preview.,Brunson scored 17 of his 30...

Rockets, Suns fight for playoff position as Kevin Durant returns to Phoenix
Kevin Durant will make his belated return to Phoenix when the Houston Rockets play the host Suns on Tuesday.,Durant missed the first game between the two in Phoenix in November while attending to a family matter, but about the only thing that matters now is playoff positioning.,"It's going to be a h...

Lakers-Thunder rematch carries different vibe after L.A. injuries
When the Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers faced off Thursday in Oklahoma City, the matchup had plenty of buzz.,The contest featured the top team in the Western Conference, a contender on a 13-1 run looking to knock off the defending champions, and two MVP candidates.,But the storylines will be much di...

Clippers host Mavericks, eye No. 8 seed in West
With a key play-in tournament seeding matchup set for later in the week, the Los Angeles Clippers are intent to focus on the task at hand when they play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at Inglewood, Calif.,The Clippers (40-38) are tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for eighth place in the ...

Goal is to get Stephen Curry in peak form as Warriors face Kings
The Golden State Warriors embark upon the Stephen Curry management portion of their schedule when they take on the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Tuesday night to tip off a stretch of four games in six days to close out the regular season.,Curry returned from a two-month absence caused by a so...

Pelicans to host Jazz in matchup of Western Conference also-rans
Late-season losing streaks collide Tuesday when the New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Utah Jazz.,While losing has more benefit than winning for teams low in the standings, the Jazz (21-58) have more to gain by losing as they sit fourth from the bottom of the overall NBA pecking order with three ...

Celtics looking to integrate Nikola Vucevic against surging Hornets
Although this is the final week of the NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics still have at least one significant thing to iron out entering Tuesday's game against the visiting Charlotte Hornets: making sure Nikola Vucevic fits comfortably into the rotation before the playoffs begin.,Vucevic returne...

Raptors host Heat for a pair with both vying for optimal playoff positioning
Plenty will be at stake on Tuesday when the Toronto Raptors host the Miami Heat for the first of two straight meetings north of the border between the postseason-bound teams.,Entering Monday's action, Toronto (43-35) sits in the No. 7 spot of the crowded Eastern Conference standings, tied with the P...

Bucks, Nets playing better of late than records would indicate
At the beginning of the final week of the regular season, two teams already looking toward the offseason face off as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday in New York.,It's the first of two matchups between these teams in the next week, as they'll reconvene Friday in Milwaukee.,An...

Timberwolves need to reverse present course vs. lowly Pacers
Minnesota coach Chris Finch admits the Timberwolves are "a million miles" away from where he'd like them to be -- and where they ought to be at this stage of the season.,Clinging to sixth position in the Western Conference -- three games ahead of the seventh-place Phoenix Suns above the play-in cut ...

Bulls fire VP Arturas Karnisovas, GM Marc Eversley
With one winning season and one playoff appearance during their six seasons running the Chicago Bulls' front office, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley were fired Monday.,Hired at the start of the 2020-21 campaign along with head co...
NBA Coaching Carousel Shaken Up by Michael Malone’s Surprise UNC Move
Michael Malone’s move to North Carolina reshapes the NBA coaching market as struggling teams eye replacements amid a brutal tanking season....

Late-season losing skids collide as Bulls battle Wizards
Eastern Conference counterparts on losing streaks try to push toward the conclusion the 2025-26 regular season on a high note as the Chicago Bulls visit the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.,Chicago (29-49) hung tough with Phoenix in a Sunday matinee, but gave up a late-game run that...
Dan Hurley Rejects ‘Underdog’ Label Ahead of National Championship
Dan Hurley pushes back on UConn’s underdog label ahead of title game....