Basketball Page 198 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Battle-tested Heat ready for top-seeded Cavs
Fifteen years after LeBron James left Northeast Ohio to take his talents to South Beach, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat meet in the playoffs for the first time.,Miami locked up its berth with a 123-114 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, becoming the initial 10th seed to qualify t...
Top-seeded Thunder face Grizzlies with more left to prove
For much of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has downplayed his team's accomplishments, even as the team ran away with the best record in the Western Conference. ,Oklahoma City needs to prove itself in the postseason, Gilgeous-Alexander said. Starting Sunday, the top-se...
Pacers outclass Bucks in series opener
Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam combined for 27 points in a run-away first half, Tyrese Haliburton directed a high-efficiency offense with a game-high 12 assists and the Indiana Pacers opened their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with a 117-98 thumping of the visiting Milwaukee B...
Defensive tussle ahead as Celtics open title defense vs. Magic
The Boston Celtics will continue their quest to win back-to-back NBA championships Sunday when they open the playoffs against the visiting Orlando Magic.,The Celtics, who beat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2023-24 NBA Finals, are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are trying to become the fi...
Report: Bucks' Damian Lillard targeting Game 2 or 3 return
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who missed the final 14 games of the regular season due to a medical issue, could return for Game 2 or 3 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, ESPN reported Saturday.,Lillard, 34, was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his righ...
Ja Morant guides Grizzlies past Mavs, into playoffs
Ja Morant recorded 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals while playing on his sprained right ankle and the Memphis Grizzlies earned the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a convincing 120-106 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks in the play-in round on Friday...
Grizzlies star PG Ja Morant (ankle) playing vs. Mavericks
Memphis star point guard Ja Morant was cleared to play in the Grizzlies' Friday play-in game against the Dallas Mavericks about 30 minutes before the scheduled tipoff.,Morant sprained his right ankle on Tuesday in Memphis' 121-116 road loss against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.,Morant ...
Heat pull away from Hawks in OT, secure 6th straight playoff berth
Tyler Herro had a game-high 30 points, Davion Mitchell buried three 3-pointers in overtime and the Miami Heat advanced into the NBA playoffs with a 123-114 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference play-in finale Friday night.,The No. 10 Heat, who began the four-team playoff-qual...
Reports: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich resting after medical emergency
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich fainted at a San Antonio steakhouse earlier this week and was taken out of the restaurant on a stretcher and whisked away via ambulance, according to multiple reports.,TMZ first reported on the Tuesday night incident that reportedly occurred around 8:20 p.m CT. TMZ reporte...
Lakers' Luka Doncic gets the 'big games' he covets vs. Wolves
The season series seems to show the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are even heading into their first-round playoff series although the reality is something much different. ,The teams head into Game 1 of their series at Los Angeles on Saturday having split four games against each other...
After posting identical records, Nuggets, Clippers open 4-5 series
The Denver Nuggets didn't win the NBA Cup in December, but the tournament gave them a chance to secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers.,Denver won the extra game scheduled between the teams after both were eliminated -- meaning the Nuggets fi...
Lakers extend GM Rob Pelinka, add president to title
On the eve of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers extended the contract of general manager/vice president Rob Pelinka, with a promotion included, just over two months after star Luka Doncic was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks.,Under the new deal, Pelinka now becomes the president of basketba...
Knicks know all about Pistons' rise as Game 1 approaches
On their way to making the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in five seasons, the New York Knicks had multiple up-close encounters with the massively improved Detroit Pistons.,More meetings are ahead in a first-round matchup between the teams starting Saturday when Jalen Bru...
Pacers open quest for first NBA title vs. familiar Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks won the season series and have the greater postseason experience, but the Indiana Pacers hold the home-court advantage when the rivals tip off an Eastern Conference first-round best-of-seven playoff series Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis.,The Pacers earned the No. 4 seed in th...
2025 NBA Playoff Matchups We Want to See Most
From Thunder-Cavs in the NBA Finals to a Clippers-Thunder grudge match, here are the NBA Playoff series that would light up the 2025 postseason....
Israeli PG Ben Saraf declares for NBA draft
Projected first-round pick Ben Saraf of Israel announced Friday he is entering the 2025 NBA Draft.,"This is the right time for me," he told ESPN. "After playing against the highest levels of competition in European basketball, I am ready and excited for the draft.",The 6-foot-6 point guard is ranked...
Kings, GM Monte McNair part ways after play-in loss
The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair mutually agreed to part ways after the team's play-in loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.,Team owner Vivek Ranadive said in a statement on Thursday, "I want to sincerely thank Monte for his leadership and the invaluable contributions he ma...
Southeast rivals Heat, Hawks to battle for 8th seed in East
The NBA's Southeast Division Invitational continues Friday night when the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks duel in Georgia for the final berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs.,The eighth-seed game in the Eastern play-in tournament features a Heat team coming off a win in an elimination affair against...
Suns owner Mat Ishbia calls season a 'failure'
The Phoenix Suns finished 10 games below .500 this season and missed the postseason despite having probable Hall of Famer Kevin Durant on the roster.,Suns owner Mat Ishbia didn't like his view, either. He saw a team with no passion and lacking an identity.,"Embarrassing season, right?" Ishbia told r...
Grizzlies G Ja Morant (ankle) game-time decision vs. Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant is a game-time decision for Friday night's play-in game against the Dallas Mavericks due to his injured right ankle.,Morant was hurt during Tuesday night's 121-116 road loss against the host Golden State Warriors when he landed on the foot of Golden State...