Basketball Page 15 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Duke F Cameron Boozer declares for NBA Draft
Standout Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, the 2025-26 Naismith National Player of the Year, declared for the 2026 NBA Draft Friday night.,He announced the news on his Instagram account with the caption, "Thank you for everything @dukeuniversity. Duke Blue forever.",The son of former Duke star Carlos Bo...

Hawks' Nickeil Alexander-Walker named Most Improved Player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker became the second straight Atlanta Hawks player to be named the NBA's Most Improved Player when he was announced as the winner on Friday.,Alexander-Walker, 27, is just the third player in league history to win the award in his seventh season or later, joining Julius Randle (...

Nuggets feel 'urgency' down 2-1 in series against Timberwolves
Nikola Jokic has played in enough best-of-seven showdowns in the playoffs to know that he and his teammates can overcome a 2-1 series deficit.,But they better respond quickly, he said.,"The next one is a really important game for us," Jokic said. "We've got to get out there with urgency and play muc...

Rockets star Kevin Durant (ankle) ruled out for Game 3 vs. Lakers
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is set to miss his second game of the Western Conference first-round playoff series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.,Less than 90 minutes before tipoff of Game 3 on Friday night in Houston, the Rockets ruled out Durant due to a left ankle sprain. He ...

Thunder must adjust without Jalen Williams in Game 3 vs. Suns
After being without him for much of the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder will once again have to adjust to playing without Jalen Williams.,One of the Thunder's primary ballhandlers, Williams suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in Wednesday's Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns in their We...

Arizona F Koa Peat to pursue dream, declares for NBA draft
Arizona forward Koa Peat announced on Instagram Friday that he has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.,"Playing in the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," Peat wrote. "With that being said, after a lot of thought and conversations with the people closest to me, I'm excited to announ...

Pistons look to carry momentum into Game 3 vs. Magic
The Detroit Pistons almost were unrecognizable for the first six quarters of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic, but that all changed in the span of about eight minutes.,The top-seeded Pistons appear to have finally settled in as they head into Game 3 against the eighth-seeded Magic ...

Report: North Carolina C Henri Veesaar to enter NBA draft
North Carolina center Henri Veesaar is entering the NBA Draft, CBS Sports reported on Friday.,The Raleigh News & Observer reported that Veesaar informed new head coach Michael Malone and his staff on Thursday evening that he would not return for his senior season.,Veesaar, who is projected to be a l...

Kansas G Darryn Peterson declares for NBA draft
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson announced Friday that he is leaving school after just one season and 24 games to enter the 2026 NBA Draft.,He is expected to be a top pick in the draft in June. Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer of Duke have been tagged in multiple mock drafts as the three t...

Hawks look to build comfortable series lead over Knicks
The New York Knicks held a comfortable lead for most of their Game 1 win last weekend.,Since then, the Atlanta Hawks have made things massively uncomfortable for an opponent with aspirations of a deep postseason run.,The pressure is intensifying for the Knicks, who will look to even up the first-rou...
AJ Dybantsa’s Decision Proves NIL Still Can’t Compete With NBA Money
AJ Dybantsa declares for the NBA Draft. Here’s why skipping college was the obvious choice....
What Prediction Markets Are Telling Us About NBA Playoffs in the East
The Eastern Conference playoff picture is shifting. Here’s where the best value lies right now on prediction markets like Kalshi....

NBA roundup: Hawks get by Knicks again to take 2-1 series lead
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and sank the game-winning basket with 12.7 seconds left, lifting Atlanta to a 109-108 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.,The Hawks led 96-85 with 8:06 to go in the four...

Timberwolves shut down Nuggets, claim series advantage
Jaden McDaniels led a spirited defensive effort, reserve Ayo Dosunmu delivered a team-high 25 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves held the Denver Nuggets to a season-low shooting percentage en route to a 113-96 victory in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Thursday in...

NBA fines Suns' Devin Booker $35K but rescinds his technical
One day after calling a referee's performance "terrible," Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker received a $35,000 fine from the NBA on Thursday for his comments -- but he did receive some vindication from the league.,The NBA rescinded the technical foul called against Booker late in the third quarter, an...

Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett help Raptors halve Cavs' series egde
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett each scored 33 points Thursday night and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.,Reserve Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to ignite a Toronto surge that reduced ...

CJ McCollum, Hawks pull out 2nd straight tight win over Knicks
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and sank the game-winning basket with 12.7 seconds left, lifting Atlanta to a 109-108 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.,Game 4 in the best-of-seven set will be played ...

NBA fines Suns' Devin Booker $35K but rescind his technical
One day after calling a referee's performance "terrible," Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker received a $35,000 fine from the NBA on Thursday for his comments -- but he did receive some vindication from the league.,The NBA rescinded the technical foul called against Booker late in the third quarter, an...

Short-handed Lakers show grit in leading series vs. Rockets
Beyond LeBron James' individual brilliance and extensive postseason history of carrying teams to heights previously unimagined, perhaps the characteristic most overlooked within these Los Angeles Lakers was their collective ability to overcome obstacles during the regular season.,Even with James, Lu...

Thunder's Jalen Williams week-to-week with strained hamstring
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain injury and will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis, the team announced.,Williams underwent an MRI on Thursday, one day after he left Oklahoma City's 120-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter due to t...