Basketball Page 304 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Cavs, Raptors head toward season opener with injury concerns
Injury concerns will be at the forefront when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Toronto Raptors in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.,The Cavaliers will try to fill the void of Max Strus, who will be out at least six weeks due to a sprained ankle.,The Raptors listed RJ Barrett (shoulder)...

Liberty-Lynx draw most-watched WNBA Finals game since 1999
The New York Liberty's title-clinching victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday was the most watched WNBA Finals game since 1999.,The Game 5 thriller, won by the Liberty 67-62 in overtime, had a 1.1 rating with 2.15 million viewers on ESPN. The previous high was the deciding Game 3 of the 1999 WNBA...

Determined Bucks to take on short-handed 76ers
The Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers each failed to meet expectations last season, but a new opportunity begins Wednesday when the teams meet in Philadelphia in the season opener for both squads., ,It is the third straight season in which Milwaukee and Philadelphia have met in their respective season opene...

Joel Embiid, Paul George out for Sixers' season opener
The Philadelphia 76ers will be without stars Joel Embiid and Paul George when they take the court for their season opener at home Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.,Both players are dealing with knee injuries.,Embiid is expected to be out for the remainder of the week, which includes road games ...

Trends reveal why public is behind Celtics on banner night
Distractions are part of the pomp and circumstances surrounding NBA banner night, a celebratory opening game for the reigning champions taking place in Boston on Tuesday. ,The Celtics don't seem to mind the shimmery peripherals that surround ring night. They're 15-2 in the first game of the season f...
Let's Get The Bronny James Los Angeles Lakers Debut Over With
Bronny James and LeBron James will likely share an NBA regular season court for the first time on Tuesday night vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, and let's get that moment over with....

NBA season-preview capsules: Northwest Division
1. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER,Predicted 2024-25 record: 62-20,Last season: 57-25, 1st in NBA Western Conference. Lost 4-2 to Dallas Mavericks in conference semifinals.,Last time ... the Thunder won 60 games in a season was 2012-13, when Kevin Durant helped Oklahoma City post a 60-22 record. The franchise...

Report: Nuggets give Aaron Gordon 4-year, $133M extension
Locking up a frontcourt starter for the long term, the Denver Nuggets agreed to a four-year, $133 million extension with Aaron Gordon on Monday, the forward's agents told ESPN.,Per the report, Gordon, 29, accepted his $23 million option for the 2025-26 season, with the new pact linking him to the Nu...

Lights on LeBron, Bronny James as Lakers open vs. Wolves
Two teams with every expectation that they will be in the mix come the spring will open the season against each other Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves.,The Lakers will try to squeeze another quality season out of a veteran duo in LeBron James and Anthony Da...

Reports: Rockets give Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green lucrative extensions
The Houston Rockets had a bounce-back year in 2023-24 thanks in large part to their 2021 draft class. Now, the Rockets are locking up their core for the immediate future.,The Rockets awarded center Alperen Sengun with a five-year, $185 million rookie extension and signed guard Jalen Green to a three...

Hawks extend F Jalen Johnson, reportedly for $150M
The Atlanta Hawks signed forward Jalen Johnson to a multi-year contract extension on Monday.,The team did not disclose the deal's terms, but ESPN reported the extension is for five years and $150 million -- fully guaranteed.,"Jalen Johnson embodies the characteristics we look for as an organization,...

Reports: Rockets G Jalen Green inks 3-year, $106M extension
Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green signed a three-year rookie contract extension worth $106 million on Monday, ESPN and The Athletic reported.,The third year of the extension features a player option. Per ESPN, Green, 22, is the first NBA player to land a 2-plus-1 rookie extension worth at least $100...

Report: Magic G Jalen Suggs gets 5-year, $150.5M contract extension
Guard Jalen Suggs and the Orlando Magic have agreed on a five-year, $150.5 million extension to his rookie contract, ESPN reported Monday.,The 23-year-old Suggs, who signed a four-year, $30 million deal in 2021 that will pay him $9.1 million this season, was voted to the NBA All-Defensive second tea...

Wizards F Corey Kispert agrees to 4-year, $54M extension
Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert agreed to a four-year, $54 million rookie contract extension.,Agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports confirmed the details Monday with ESPN.,Kispert, 25, is heading into his fourth season since the Wizards drafted him 15th overall in 202...

NBA season-preview capsules: Southeast Division
Orlando Magic,Predicted 2024 record: 50-32,Last season: 47-35, 5th in NBA Eastern Conference. Lost 4-3 to Cleveland Cavaliers in first round of playoffs.,Last time: That Orlando advanced past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs it was 2009-10. The Magic have made the postseason just f...

WNBA players vote to opt out of CBA after 2025 season
One day after the WNBA ended its most successful season with the New York Liberty winning their first title, the league's players' association announced Monday it will opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement.,In a season of record attendance and television ratings that already have st...

New-look Knicks out to spoil Boston's latest banner raising
The Boston Celtics will begin their quest for back-to-back NBA championships Tuesday when they tip off the 2024-25 season against the visiting New York Knicks.,Boston defeated Dallas in five games to claim the 2023-24 championship. The Celtics haven't won consecutive titles since 1967-68 and 1968-69...

Pelicans G Trey Murphy III signs 4-year, $112M extension
Trey Murphy's hamstring is still hurting but his wallet won't be, as the New Orleans Pelicans forward signed a four-year contract extension worth $112 million, ESPN reported Monday.,The extension reportedly does not include incentives or a player option.,Murphy, 24, averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 rebound...

Report: Bucks vet Khris Middleton (ankles) to miss opener
Bucks star Khris Middleton is expected to miss Milwaukee's season opener Wednesday against the host Philadelphia 76ers as he continues to rehab from ankle injuries, ESPN reported Monday.,The most Middleton has been cleared to do so far is participate in 3-on-3 scrimmages, but he's been limited in pr...

NBA season-preview capsules: Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs,Predicted 2024-25 record: 38-44,Last season: 22-60, 14th in NBA Western Conference.,Last time ... ,The Spurs had a head coach not named Gregg Popovich it was Bob Hill, who held the job from 1994-96. Popovich's 29-year run on the bench currently stands at 2,209 games.,FanDuel champi...