Basketball Page 274 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups to miss 2 games
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups will miss the next two games following the death of his grandmother.,The team confirmed that assistant Nate Bjorkgren will coach Thursday night's home game against the Utah Jazz and Saturday's home date with the Philadelphia 76ers.,The Blazers (9-20) hav...

Heat sign G League standout Keshad Johnson
The Miami Heat announced the signing of NBA G League standout Keshad Johnson on Thursday.,The team converted his two-way contract to a standard two-year NBA deal. Terms were not disclosed.,Johnson, 23, has averaged 21.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 13 starts for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami's G Lea...
Victor Wembanyama Could Actually Be Better Than We Thought
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama showed the world on Christmas Day that he could become the face of the NBA and might actually be better than we anticipated....
LeBron James Was Right, Christmas Day Belongs to the NBA
After knocking off the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, Lakers star LeBron James called out the NFL. And he's right, as Christmas should belong to the NBA....

Suns gain split of home-and-home set vs. Nuggets
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal scored 27 points apiece and the Phoenix Suns avenged a one-sided loss at Denver earlier this week with a solid 110-100 victory over the visiting Nuggets on Wednesday night.,Tyus Jones added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Monte Morris scored 11 off the bench for the Su...

NBA roundup: Lakers nip Warriors in final second
Austin Reaves drove for a go-ahead layup with one second left to cap a triple-double, LeBron James added to his Christmas Day lore with 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to Anthony Davis to outlast the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.,Despite l...

Austin Reaves' heroics lead Lakers over Warriors in Christmas thriller
Austin Reaves drove for a go-ahead layup with one second left to cap a triple-double, LeBron James added to his Christmas Day lore with 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to Anthony Davis to outlast the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.,Despite l...

Celtics C Kristaps Porzingis injures ankle vs. 76ers
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis injured his ankle during a 118-114 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. ,Porzingis seemingly got hurt just 65 seconds into the contest, slipping near the top of the key while trying to create separation with a step back. He did end up loggi...

Lakers big man Anthony Davis (ankle) leaves game vs. Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis exited a meeting with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday after rolling his ankle in the first quarter.,Davis was simply walking in the lane when he tweaked his left foot down by the restricted area. He subbed out of the contest at the 4:48 mark of th...

Jazz look to repeat season-best effort vs. Blazers
The Utah Jazz return to the site of their biggest blowout victory of the season on Thursday night when they take on the host Portland Trail Blazers. ,Utah wraps up a five-game, cross-country road trip in Portland, where it defeated the Trail Blazers by 42 points -- 141-99 -- on Dec. 6.,Reserve Johnn...

Report: Mavs star Luka Doncic (calf) to miss extended time
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is expected to miss an extended period of time after straining his calf, ESPN reported Wednesday night.,Doncic sustained the injury during a 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, heading to the locker room in the second quarter before missing the e...

Road-tested Pistons draw Kings next
The Detroit Pistons hope to continue to enjoy their holiday away from home when they go for a third straight road win on Thursday night against the host Sacramento Kings.,Last season's losingest team appeared to catch no break in the schedule when dealt a four-game Western swing sandwiching Christma...

76ers spoil Celtics' Christmas with 118-114 win
Tyrese Maxey collected 33 points and 12 assists to lead the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.,The 76ers received 27 points and nine rebounds from Joel Embiid and 23 points from Caleb Martin, who made 7 of 9 3-point attempts.,The Celtics, who trail...

Rockets getting lift from different players while Pelicans seek spark
The Houston Rockets have won three straight games and five of their last six.,The New Orleans Pelicans have lost seven games in a row and have just five victories this season.,The team with the second-best record in the Western Conference will visit the team with the worst record in the conference o...

Feeling a holiday snub, Bucks to face Nets next
After having Christmas Day off for the first time in seven seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks will face the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.,Milwaukee players expressed surprise after the Bucks were not selected to play on the holiday. After all, the Bucks were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference ...

Wizards host Hornets in a matchup of win-starved teams
The NBA highlighted its marquee teams over a five-game Christmas television slate on Wednesday.,Not among those teams were the Washington Wizards or the Charlotte Hornets, who have 11 wins between them. Instead, the bottom two teams in the Southeast Division will meet Thursday night in Washington.,C...

Raptors well aware of challenge Morant, Grizzlies pose
Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic knows firsthand the impact Ja Morant has on the Memphis Grizzlies.,When the visiting Raptors play the Grizzlies on Thursday night, Rajakovic will return to the arena he called home for three seasons as a Memphis assistant coach.,After a league suspension and inj...

Wolves withstand furious comeback to beat Mavericks
Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat Dallas 105-99 on Wednesday, with the Mavericks playing the second half without star Luka Doncic after he sustained a left calf strain late in the second quarter.,Doncic suffered the non-contact injury with 2:31 left in the...

Streaking Thunder intent to show worth in clash vs. Pacers
Not getting to play on Christmas has the Oklahoma City Thunder feeling like they have something to prove when they head to Indianapolis for a meeting with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.,A 57-25 finish to the 2023-24 campaign that resulted in the No. 1 seed in the West wasn't enough to get Okl...

Mavs G Luka Doncic (calf) won't return against Wolves
Dallas star Luka Doncic exited the Mavericks' game against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in the second quarter with a left calf injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.,Doncic came away with the non-contact injury with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter and wen...