Basketball Page 12 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Veronica Burton’s 22 points lead Valkyries to win over slumping Wings
Veronica Burton scored 22 points, 13 of them in the second half, to help carry the visiting Golden State Valkyries to a definitive 94-76 win over the Dallas Wings on Friday in the American Airlines Center, the Wings' home away from home., ,The Valkyries (22-9) went to halftime up by eight points bef...

Shakira Austin, Mystics hold on late to stifle Dream
Shakira Austin had a double-double, four teammates scored in double figures and the host Washington Mystics won their sixth consecutive game by holding off the Atlanta Dream 79-74 on Friday night., ,Austin finished with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, Kiki Iriafen scored 15, Sonia Citron had ...

Brittney Griner's block at buzzer helps Sun sink Mercury
Brittney Griner blocked a potential tying 3-point shot by Kelsey Plum at the buzzer as the Connecticut Sun dealt visiting Phoenix a huge blow to any playoff hopes with a 75-72 win on Saturday night.,Plum, playing just her third game for Phoenix, had a game-high 25 points. Kennedy Burke led the Sun w...

Brandon Clarke died from heroin, cocaine effects, examiner rules
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner reported on Friday that Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke died due to the effects of heroin and cocaine.,The medical examiner ruled Clarke's May 11 death an accident. The combined effects of multiple prescription medications were also iden...

Carla Leite, Fire seek season sweep versus Storm
Their five-game losing streak a thing of the past after a 97-83 win Thursday night over Toronto, the Portland Fire now shoot for their first back-to-back wins since May.,Based on recent history, Portland has a good chance to wind up in the win column again on Saturday night when it hosts the Seattle...

WNBA standings toppers face off as Lynx host Aces
The top two teams in the WNBA will square off on Saturday afternoon.,The Minnesota Lynx (25-7) aim to increase their 2 1/2-game lead over the second-place Las Vegas Aces (22-9) when the teams meet in Minneapolis.,Both squads have shined this season, but they will enter the game in different moods. L...

WNBPA: 'We will not be pawns' in political conversation
As discussion surrounding transgender athletes and whether they should be allowed to compete in women's sports continues to run rampant, the WNBA Player's Association put out a statement which made its stance on the matter known.,"The WNBPA represents 200+ individual people with different lived expe...

Ascending Sky eager to snap losing streak to Fever
The Chicago Sky are playing well, but that momentum still might not be enough to topple the Indiana Fever.,Winners in three of their last four games overall, the host Sky will try to avoid an eighth consecutive loss to the Fever on Saturday.,Chicago (12-19) has plenty of work to do in order to move ...

James Harden's misdemeanor gun charge dismissed
A Texas judge has dismissed a misdemeanor gun charge against NBA superstar James Harden. ,Harden, 36, was arrested on June 13 after Houston police found an unholstered handgun in his vehicle.,The offense was punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.,A Harris County judge dismiss...

Fans booted from courtside seats at Aces-Fever game
The Indiana Fever said the fans escorted from their seats at Thursday night's game against the visiting Las Vegas Aces did not violate the WNBA's code of conduct.,A situation developed in the third quarter of the Aces' 86-84 overtime win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with Las Vegas guard...

Knicks' draft acquisition Jack Kayil to play in Germany
Jack Kayil, the No. 39 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is returning to play with his team in Germany.,Alba Berlin, in a social media post on Friday, said the club had signed the 20-year-old point guard to a five-year contract through the 2030-31 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.,The Ho...

Report: Kawhi Leonard had sponsorship deal with video board company
Under investigation into allegations of impermissible payments to skirt salary-cap rules, Kawhi Leonard also had an undisclosed multi-million-dollar deal with Daktronics, the company that designed the video board at the Los Angeles Clippers' home arena, the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out" reported o...

Carla Leite's double-double propels Fire to win over Tempo
Carla Leite recorded 27 points and 11 assists while leading the Portland Fire to a 97-83 victory over the visiting Toronto Tempo in a battle of expansion franchises on Thursday.,Megan DiLeo (formerly Gustafson) added 17 points as Portland (12-19) held off a late charge to halt a five-game losing str...

With fourth-quarter rally, Sparks snap Lynx's 10-game win streak
Dearica Hamby scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied for an 89-82 win, snapping the Minnesota Lynx's 10-game winning streak on Thursday night in Minneapolis.,Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot for Los Angeles (12-18). ...

Liberty waive former All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
The other shoe dropped for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton on Thursday.,The New York Liberty waived the former All-Star while giving Marine Fauthoux a multiyear contract.,Laney-Hamilton, 32, was ejected from her last game for the Liberty on July 12. New York's Jonquel Jones had a shoe come off in the fourth...

Aces' Chelsea Gray beats two buzzers, Fever in OT win
Chelsea Gray made a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and then converted another one at the buzzer at the conclusion to give the Las Vegas Aces an 86-84 victory Thursday over the Indiana Fever at Indianapolis.,Gray's winning shot, a runner from 26 feet, was set up after A'ja Wilso...

Wings strive to avoid another fourth-quarter flop against Valkyries
The Dallas Wings will have to be better in the fourth quarter if they expect to prevail over the surging Golden State Valkyries when the teams square off on Friday at the American Airlines Center, the Wings' home away from home.,The Wings (19-12) return to action after a 96-92 loss in Washington on ...

Report: Extension-eligible Anthony Davis, Wizards wait on contract talks
Anthony Davis and the Washington Wizards are not rushing into contract talks as he became eligible for an extension on Thursday, according to reports. ,The Athletic reported no significant talks toward a new deal have taken place before the two sides. CBS Sports reported Thursday the conversations a...

Dream, Mystics each bring strong form into season rubber match
The Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics have both surged into strong position to make the playoffs two-thirds of the way through the regular season., ,Now both teams are trying to improve their seeding as they prepare to meet Friday night in Washington., ,The Dream (19-11) had won five games in...

Mercury looking to fuel playoff drive at Sun's expense
The Phoenix Mercury, with new star guard Kelsey Plum, have a lot of work to do if they are going to make the WNBA playoffs, and they will looking to power their Friday night against the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn.,The Mercury were 6 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot on Thursday before...