Basketball Page 186 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Raptors hold off Hornets for third straight win
Jakob Poeltl scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors to a third consecutive win on Friday, 108-97 against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.,Poeltl's efficient 12-of-14 effort from the field pushed him to his 22nd double-double of the season. Immanuel Quickley scored 19 poi...

Tim Hardaway Jr., Pistons end long drought vs. Cavaliers
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a season-high 32 points and the host Detroit Pistons clinched their first winning season in nine years by defeating the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 133-122 on Friday night.,The last time Detroit posted a winning season was 2015-16 when it finished 44-38. The P...

Celtics carry road dominance to resilient San Antonio
The surging Boston Celtics look to keep alive their fleeting chances for the best record in the Eastern Conference when they square off against the host San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in a late-season interconference game.,The Celtics (54-19) travel to San Antonio on a seven-game winning streak, the ...

Fresh off record output, Pacers face tough Thunder defense
The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers squared off, defense made the difference in lifting the Thunder to a victory.,In a Dec. 26 matchup at Indianapolis, the Thunder forced 11 turnovers while turning it over just three times and outscored the Pacers 17-3 off those turnovers to p...

In wake of coach's firing, Grizzlies turn to face Lakers
Searching for answers before postseason play, the Memphis Grizzlies made the surprising move of firing coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games left in the regular season.,The Grizzlies will reportedly tap assistant Tuomas Iisalo as their interim head coach as they open a three-game homestand Saturday w...

Mavs, Bulls bring play-in tourney aspirations into clash
Fresh off a memorable buzzer-beating win, Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls host the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night with both teams looking to improve their playoff positions.,Giddey sank a 46.5-footer to stun the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 119-117 on Thursday night. The shot capped an incredib...

Back-in-form Heat look to take down struggling 76ers
Following a rough stretch of basketball for most of March, the Miami Heat are starting to show signs of life., ,The resurgent Heat go for their fourth straight victory Saturday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers in the opener of a three-game road trip., ,Miami (32-41) lost 10 games in a row from...

Hornets G LaMelo Ball (ankle, wrist) out for rest of season
The Charlotte Hornets are shutting down point guard LaMelo Ball for the remainder of the season as he will have procedures for ankle and wrist injuries, the team said on Friday.,Ball, 23, will undergo arthroscopic surgery for a right ankle impingement and what the Hornets called a minor procedure on...

Kings visit Magic as a pair of play-in races heat up
The Sacramento Kings and host Orlando Magic find themselves in similar positions heading into Saturday's matchup, with both jockeying for positioning in the late-season play-in race.,Orlando (35-39) was unable to gain ground on Atlanta for seventh place in the Eastern Conference when the Magic's thr...

Sixers G Tyrese Maxey (finger) out two more games
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey will miss at least two more games with a sprained finger, coach Nick Nurse confirmed Friday.,Maxey will not play in the home games Saturday against the Miami Heat and Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, extending his lineup absence to 15 contests. ,He has also b...

Grizzlies fire coach Taylor Jenkins despite 44-29 record
The Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday despite the club's 44-29 record.,The Grizzlies entered the day tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth-best record in the Western Conference.,Jenkins, 40, has compiled a 250-214 record with three playoff appearances since being h...

Nets sign F Drew Timme to multi-year contract
The Brooklyn Nets announced a multi-year deal with forward Drew Timme on Friday. Terms were not disclosed.,Timme, 24, was undrafted in 2023 following a decorated four-year career as an All-American at Gonzaga.,He is averaging 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29 games (28 starts) this se...

Nikola Jokic, Nuggets look to keep guard up vs. lowly Jazz
The Denver Nuggets are in a tight battle for the second seed in the Western Conference in part because they haven't beaten teams they should have defeated.,Two losses to the lowly Washington Wizards, two to the Portland Trail Blazers, and they escaped a depleted Milwaukee Bucks team on Wednesday nig...

Pistons, on verge of winning season, face East beast Cavs
The Detroit Pistons will try to end two long streaks in one night when they host the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.,Detroit hasn't posted a winning season since it finished 44-38 in 2015-16. The Pistons (41-32) can end that eight-season drought as early as Friday.,Th...

NBA roundup: Josh Giddey, Bulls stun Lakers at buzzer
Josh Giddey buried a miracle shot from beyond halfcourt at the final buzzer as the Chicago Bulls overturned an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-117 on Thursday.,The Bulls trailed 115-110 with 12.6 seconds remaining before delivering down the stretch with a wild sequ...

Zach LaVine-led Kings defeat Blazers to end 4-game skid
Zach LaVine scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting to help the Sacramento Kings break a four-game losing streak with a solid 128-107 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.,Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points, 19 rebounds and six assists and DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and...

Alperen Sengun, surging Rockets top skidding Jazz
Alperen Sengun totaled 33 points and 10 rebounds to boost the Houston Rockets to a 121-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday in Salt Lake City.,Jalen Green added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Rockets (48-26) began a three-game road trip with their 11th win in 12 games.,Five o...

Josh Giddey hits miracle shot at buzzer as Bulls edge Lakers
Josh Giddey buried a miracle shot from beyond halfcourt at the final buzzer as the Chicago Bulls overturned an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-117 on Thursday night.,The Bulls (33-40) trailed 115-110 with 12.6 seconds remaining before delivering down the stretch wi...

Thunder take down Grizzlies, run win streak to 8
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 125-104 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.,Gilgeous-Alexander added six assists and three steals and didn't have a turnover in more than 33 minutes.,The Thunder have won eight consecutive games, their s...

Tyler Herro puts up 36 points as Heat handle Hawks
Tyler Herro scored a game-high 36 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field, helping guide the Miami Heat to a 122-112 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.,Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell added 16 points apiece for Miami (32-41), which has won three consecutive games. Bam Adebayo co...