Basketball Page 254 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Wolves G Anthony Edwards fined again for postgame comments
The NBA fined Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards $75,000 on Monday for criticizing the referees of Saturday's game between Minnesota and the visiting Golden State Warriors.,In a release, the league said Edwards used "inappropriate and profane language" during a postgame media session after the Timbe...

Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard out vs. Bulls
The Milwaukee Bucks will be without several key players in Monday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls, including stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the team announced.,Antetokounmpo is dealing with back spasms, while Lillard is out with a non-COVID illness. Lillard has also recently bee...

Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu signs on to Unrivaled league
New York Liberty star guard Sabrina Ionescu will play in the inaugural season of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league.,The league announced Ionescu as a wild-card roster entry on Monday. She will play for Phantom BC, joining Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings), Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun), Natasha Cloud (Phoeni...

Wings hire USC assistant Chris Koclanes as head coach
The Dallas Wings named Southern California assistant Chris Koclanes as their new head coach on Monday.,Before joining the Trojans' staff in 2023-24, he spent eight seasons in the WNBA working with Wings general manager Curt Miller.,The defensive-minded Koclanes was on Miller's coaching staff with th...
Jerome Tang Deserves Blowback for Ducking K-State's Rivalry With Wichita State
K-State head coach Jerome Tang deserves criticism for trying to end K-State's longtime rivalry with the Wichita State Shockers....

Short-handed Suns brace for Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets were expected to fight for supremacy in the Western Conference this season. ,Instead, the two teams are battling to stay in the mix a third of the way through the schedule.,The Suns (14-13) and Nuggets (15-11) will meet in Denver on Monday night for the first of t...

Pacers visit Warriors, seek sweep of western road trip
The Indiana Pacers will seek to complete a holiday hat trick by finishing an unbeaten western swing with a win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in San Francisco.,The Pacers, who were just 10-15 on Dec. 8, benefited from greater depth created by improved health in wins at Phoenix and Sa...

Knicks bid to extend winning streak in clash vs. Raptors
Returning home from a three-game road swing with three straight wins, the New York Knicks host a Toronto Raptors team playing the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday.,New York concluded its successful road trip on Saturday with a 104-93 defeat of New Orleans, bookending the trip with a pair of de...

Rockets look to even season series with struggling Hornets
The first game of a back-to-back and three-game road trip presented the Rockets with the usual problems accompanying these scheduling quirks. How the Rockets responded spoke volumes.,On Sunday, the Rockets rebounded from a 16-point, first-half deficit to claim a 114-110 victory over the Toronto Rapt...

NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic (triple-double) lifts Nuggets in OT
Nikola Jokic overcame a slow start to finish with a triple-double and the visiting Denver Nuggets rebounded from a 17-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129 in overtime Sunday night.,Jokic was scoreless until late in the second quarter but finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 1...

Nikola Jokic sparks rally as Nuggets top Pelicans in OT
Nikola Jokic overcame a slow start to finish with a triple-double and the visiting Denver Nuggets rebounded from a 17-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129 in overtime Sunday night., ,Jokic was scoreless until late in the second quarter but finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and...

Down 14 early, Rockets roar past slumping Raptors
Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, Jalen Green added 22 and the visiting Houston Rockets rallied past the Raptors 114-110 on Sunday night, sending Toronto to its seventh straight loss.,Alperen Sengun contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who have won two straight. Jabari ...

Lakers looking forward to home-heavy schedule, face Pistons next
Confident that their worst days are behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers will kick off a favorable part of the schedule when they play host to the Detroit Pistons on Monday.,The Lakers have been rejuvenated while on a three-game winning streak, with consecutive road victories over the Sacramento King...

Luka Doncic questionable as Mavs face skidding Blazers
Two teams trending in opposite directions meet in Dallas on Monday, when the Mavericks host the lowly Portland Trail Blazers.,Dallas, winners of 13 of its last 16 games, will look to extend Portland's road woes, as the Blazers are just 3-12 away from home.,The Mavericks have adjusted well without su...

Pacers beat Kings as Tyrese Haliburton wins in old stomping grounds
Pascal Siakam led a balanced attack with 19 points, Tyrese Haliburton enjoyed his first triumphant homecoming and the visiting Indiana Pacers rolled past the struggling Sacramento Kings 122-95 on Sunday afternoon.,Playing in Sacramento for just the second time since being dealt from the Kings to the...

G Alex Caruso lands contract extension from Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a contract extension with veteran guard Alex Caruso on Sunday, with ESPN reporting the deal at four years and $81 million.,A standout on defense, Caruso has averaged 5.7 points with 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a career-best 1.9 steals in 19 games this season, hi...

Surging Thunder face NBA-worst Wizards
The top team in the Western Conference meets the team with the worst record in the NBA on Monday when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Washington Wizards.,The Thunder have won seven consecutive games that count in the regular-season standings, including back-to-back games since falling in the NBA ...

Invincible Grizzlies set for visit from Clippers
Scotty Pippen Jr. is giving the Memphis Grizzlies the boost and direction they need whenever star guard Ja Morant is sidelined.,Such was the case Saturday night in the team's road win over the Atlanta Hawks, and it could be again Monday when the Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Clippers at home.,Wi...

Khris Middleton, Bucks ready for Bulls' uptempo plan
The Milwaukee Bucks recently raised a banner at home commemorating their NBA Cup tournament title.,Adding a similar adornment to salute Khris Middleton for playing in his first set of back-to-back games this season would be a bit much, but the Bucks are giddy just the same.,Middleton enters Monday's...

After stunning loss, Heat look to bounce back vs. Nets
Following one of their most stunning losses in recent years, the Miami Heat have little time to regroup before facing the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Monday.,Miami has lost three straight heading into the matchup against Brooklyn, which has lost seven of its last nine.,Miami's latest loss came on Satu...