Basketball Page 247 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Anfernee Simons, Blazers pull away for win over Hornets
Anfernee Simons poured in 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers overcame early rough stretches to beat the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 102-97 on Friday.,Jerami Grant cranked out 22 points, Deni Avdija had 18 points, reserve Shaedon Sharpe added 13 point...

Speculation swirls around Suns' Bradley Beal as Wizards visit
The Phoenix Suns are showing life, with seven wins in 10 games to move a game above .500.,But uncertainty remains as the Suns open a three-game homestand against the lowly Washington Wizards on Saturday night.,Rumors continue to run rampant that Phoenix will try to acquire disgruntled Jimmy Butler f...

Focus is on bigs as Warriors get rematch with Lakers
Quinten Post gets introduced to one of the NBA's biggest rivalries when the Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in San Francisco.,Post, a Netherlands native who played collegiately at Mississippi State and Boston College, has played six NBA games for the Warriors sinc...

Knicks kick off homestand against resurgent Kings
To begin a five-game homestand against the Western Conference, the New York Knicks will welcome the surging Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.,Winners in three of four games, New York looks to inch closer to the second-place Boston Celtics, who sit two games ahead of the Knicks in the Eastern Confe...

Hawks try to avoid two-game sweep to visiting Raptors
It hasn't exactly been "home sweet home" on the current homestand for the Atlanta Hawks, a trend they hope to reverse when they host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday for the latter game of their two-game series.,Atlanta has lost three in a row, including the first two of a three-game homestand, and i...

Heat meet Nets, hope for positive end to 2-game trip without Butler
While the Brooklyn Nets are honoring Vince Carter with a jersey retirement ceremony, the Miami Heat are dealing with acrimony involving a player who helped them to two NBA Finals appearances and may be close to departing the team.,Carter's jersey will be retired at halftime, but before that occurs, ...

Feeling at home on road, young Pistons visit Magic
Life on the road clearly agrees with the Detroit Pistons, who are trending upward ahead of their matchup against the host Orlando Magic on Saturday.,Detroit won for the 12th time in its last 16 games on Wednesday, notching another road victory by beating the Atlanta Hawks 114-104. Cade Cunningham le...

Inconsistent Celtics guarding against back-to-back L's, visit Mavs
The Boston Celtics will be trying to avoid losing back-to-back games for the second time this season when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.,Boston dropped a 117-96 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. It was Boston's fifth game in seven nights, and, in terms of the final margin...

Nikola Jokic amid red-hot run as Nuggets face Wolves
Everything has been working for Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.,Jokic has rattled off five triple-doubles in a row, and he will go for a sixth straight on Saturday when Denver heads to Minneapolis for a meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.,History was made on Thursday night, when Jokic pi...

Wolves' Donte DiVincenzo (toe) to be re-evaluated in 3 weeks
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo will be re-evaluated in three weeks as he nurses a left big toe injury, the team announced Friday.,DiVincenzo sustained the injury during Minnesota's 116-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 15. He sought a second opinion by Dr. J. Chris Coetzee...

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs seek sweep of Pacers in Paris
The San Antonio Spurs will look to build on their most impressive offensive showing in two seasons Saturday when they square off against the Indiana Pacers for the second of two meetings in the NBA's Paris Games.,The Spurs rolled to a 140-110 win Thursday in the series opener, outscoring Indiana 45-...

Blazers aim to remain defensive against Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets, who are enjoying a period of offensive diversity, figure to need multiple options when they oppose the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.,The Trail Blazers have a quick turnaround after their defense excelled in a 101-79 road victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday....

NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic's 5th straight triple-double lifts Nuggets
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 22 rebounds and a season-high 17 assists for his fifth straight triple-double, and the host Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 132-123 on Thursday night.,Jokic, who was voted an All-Star starter Thursday, has secured each triple-double during his current ...

Led by James Harden, Clippers hand Wizards 12th straight loss
James Harden recorded his second triple-double of the season and the host Los Angeles Clippers sent the Washington Wizards to their 12th consecutive loss in a 110-93 rout on Thursday.,On his way to an 83rd career triple-double, Harden grabbed 12 rebounds, dished 13 assists and posted 17 points as on...

Anthony Davis leads surging Lakers past Celtics
Anthony Davis recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to help the Los Angeles Lakers roll to an easy 117-96 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics on Thursday night.,Austin Reaves had 23 points and six assists and LeBron James added 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for Los...

Warriors' bench dominates in easy win over Bulls
Stephen Curry led the way with 21 points, Quinten Post and Gui Santos recorded career highs off the bench and the Golden State Warriors endured a 64-point explosion in the first half by the visiting Chicago Bulls for a 131-106 victory Thursday night in San Francisco.,Playing the second night of a ba...

Nikola Jokic's 5th straight triple-double propels Nuggets past Kings
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 22 rebounds and a season-high 17 assists for his fifth straight triple-double, and the host Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 132-123 on Thursday night.,Jokic, who was voted an All-Star starter Thursday, has secured each triple-double during his current ...

Mavericks issue Thunder rare home loss
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points and Kyrie Irving added 24 points as the visiting Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-115 on Thursday.,P.J. Washington added 22 points and 19 rebounds as Dallas shot 52.7 percent from the floor. Daniel Gafford tallied 12 points and Olivier-Maxence Pr...

Bucks blast Heat for fifth win in a row
Damian Lillard came up one rebound short of a triple-double, scoring 29 points and dishing 11 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 125-96 win over the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday night.,Milwaukee was able to make it home in time after not being able to leave New Orleans until 3 p.m. Central ...

Late surge leads Raptors to victory over Hawks
RJ Barrett sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer to put Toronto ahead for good with 2:51 remaining, and the visiting Raptors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-119 on Thursday.,Scottie Barnes scored a team-high 25 points, Bruce Brown had 18 points off the bench and Chris Boucher and Jakob Poeltl contributed 17 a...