Basketball Page 248 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Franz Wagner returns, but Blazers stymie Magic
The Portland Trail Blazers used a stifling defensive effort to spoil Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner's return and scored their second three-game winning streak of the season with a 101-79 road rout on Thursday. ,Wagner, who missed 20 games with an oblique injury, scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of...
Two Knicks among those designated NBA All-Star 'starters'
A pair of New York Knicks were tapped for the NBA All-Star Game as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and power forward Karl-Anthony Towns were named starters from the Eastern Conference on Thursday.,Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee Bucks...
Magic star Franz Wagner returns after 20-game absence
Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner is back in the lineup Thursday night against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers after missing 20 games due to a torn right oblique.,Wagner was injured Dec. 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers and has missed nearly seven weeks.,"It was a long process," Wagner told report...
Brandon Miller opts for season-ending wrist surgery
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery Thursday in New York for a tear in his right wrist.,Miller had a torn scapholunate ligament in his wrist repaired by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery, according to the Hornet...
Pelicans leaning on CJ McCollum as they visit Grizzlies
CJ McCollum is not looking at this as a lost season for the struggling New Orleans Pelicans.,When the Pelicans play the host Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, McCollum will be coming off his second 45-plus-point performance this month. In Monday's 123-119 overtime win over the Utah Jazz, McCollum's...
Victor Wembanyama shines as Spurs throttle Pacers in Paris
Victor Wembanyama collected 30 points and 11 rebounds as part of a successful homecoming, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 140-110 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers on Thursday afternoon in Paris.,Wembanyama, a Frenchman who also got to play in his native country this past summer at the Paris Olympic...
Cavaliers try to rebound from tough loss against scuffling Sixers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to recover from a tough loss, but they certainly won't be getting much sympathy from the Philadelphia 76ers.,The Sixers will aim to snap a seven-game losing streak when they host Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers on Friday.,Cleveland had won 12 straight games prio...
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler drama: 'Get used to it'
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wants his team to realize the recent Jimmy Butler drama is just another day in the NBA.,Butler, who reportedly has requested a trade out of Miami, was suspended for two games Wednesday for missing a team flight. It's his second team suspension of the season, the first...
Losers of 11 straight, Wizards visit short-handed Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers hope to have something resembling a fully operational roster when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday night at Inglewood, Calif.,Amid a busy schedule this week, the Clippers were missing four starters Wednesday yet still remained competitive in a 117-113 overtime lo...
Anthony Davis, Lakers take aim at Celtics
The Los Angeles Lakers stand five games above .500 at the midway point of their schedule, and a pivotal stretch of six straight road games is right around the corner.,That makes Thursday night's nationally televised home game against the Boston Celtics feel even bigger.,The Lakers will attempt to de...
Nikola Jokic, streaking Nuggets aim to slow surging Kings
The Denver Nuggets looked anything like a contender when they were run off their own court by Cleveland on Dec. 27. The Cavaliers put up 149 points en route to dropping Denver's record to 16-13 for the season.,Nearly a month later, the Nuggets are resembling the team that won the NBA title in 2022-2...
Warriors could get glimpse of future vs. Bulls
Golden State Warriors fans will get a chance to put a face to the rumors when Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls visit San Francisco on Thursday night.,The veteran big man has been linked to the vertically challenged Warriors ever since the Stephen Curry-led squad began tumbling from its lofty per...
Bucks bid to walk off plane and subdue short-handed Heat
After their game Wednesday was postponed due to a winter storm in New Orleans, the Milwaukee Bucks hope to return to the court on Thursday night against the visiting Miami Heat.,The Athletic reported the Bucks were unable to travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The team hopes to fly back early en...
West-best Thunder set for rematch against Mavs
Less than a week after a heated game between the teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks will square off again.,The Thunder will host the Mavericks on Thursday night, six days after Dallas handed visiting Oklahoma City a 106-98 defeat.,Five technical fouls and a flagrant foul were call...
Hawks hope to reverse course in first of two games vs. Raptors
Losers of two straight games, the Atlanta Hawks will look to get back on track and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Raptors.,The Hawks, who hold the seventh seed in the conference, will host Toronto in back-to-back games as the teams wrap ...
NBA roundup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 54 in OKC's win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-114 home win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.,Neither team led by double digits until the Thunder pulled away in the last three minutes.,Gilgeous-Alexander easily topped his previous career high of 45. ...
Celtics need overtime to slip past Clippers
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum added 24 as the visiting Boston Celtics pulled out a 117-113 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif., on a night when key players were missing from both sides.,While the Celtics won without Jrue Holiday (shoulder...
Kings race past Warriors with fourth-quarter surge
De'Aaron Fox saved eight of his 14 points for a game-ending flurry, DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and the Sacramento Kings overcame an big deficit to beat the visiting Golden State Warriors 123-117 on Wednesday night.,Seeking to rebound from a 40-point home loss to Boston on Monday, the Warriors us...
Big night from deep not enough for Warriors against Kings
De'Aaron Fox saved eight of his 14 points for a game-ending flurry, DeMar DeRozan had 32 points and the Sacramento Kings overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the visiting Golden State Warriors 123-117 on Wednesday night.,Seeking to rebound from a 40-point home loss to Boston on Monday, the Warriors ...
Heat suspending Jimmy Butler two more games
The Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler for a second time this month on Wednesday after he missed the team flight to Milwaukee.,In a statement, the club said Butler was suspended "for (a) continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including...