Basketball Page 31 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

College stars go early in second round of NBA draft
Former college basketball stars Ryan Kalkbrenner and Johni Broome went among the first five picks of the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Thursday night.,Kalkbrenner, the 7-foot-1 center who won four straight Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards at Creighton, was the fourth pick of the ...

Fever, without Caitlin Clark, stumble late in loss to Sparks
Kelsey Plum scored 12 of her 21 points in the final five minutes as the Los Angeles Sparks rallied for an 85-75 win over the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever on Thursday in Indianapolis.,The Sparks (5-11) also got a game-high 23 points from Azura Stevens, one off her season high, as they snapped a f...

Storm looking to bounce back against sputtering Sun
The Seattle Storm will look to rebound from a loss to the Indiana Fever by rebounding.,Seattle (9-6) was on the short end of a 38-21 margin on the glass on Tuesday, which allowed Indiana to claim a 94-86 win. The Storm also shot 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range. ,When the Storm have topped...

Mercury ride five-game streak into clash with Liberty
On a season-best five-game winning streak, the Phoenix Mercury will be out to continue their revival when they play host to the defending champion New York Liberty on Friday.,The most prestigious victory in their streak came June 19 at New York when Monique Akoa Makani scored a team-high 21 points a...

Angel Reese, Sky ride momentum into Friday's game at Golden State
Record-setting Angel Reese makes her first appearance in San Francisco as a WNBA player on Friday night when the Chicago Sky try to build upon one of their best efforts of the season against the expansion Golden State Valkyries.,Reese posted 18 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four steals while ...

Lynx, Dream head into matchup off frustrating losses
Following a rare setback, the Minnesota Lynx will try to avoid another loss on Friday when they face the Atlanta Dream in College Park, Ga.,Minnesota (12-2) has gone 3-2 since its 9-0 start to the season, falling in its most recent outing 68-64 on the road Tuesday against the Washington Mystics. Des...

No. 5 pick Ace Bailey ready to get back to ball in Utah
Confounding to some and confusing to others, the pre-draft position of top prospect Ace Bailey moved to the rear-view mirror as he prepares for professional basketball life with the Utah Jazz.,Utah selected Bailey fifth overall on Wednesday, a decision that Jazz president of basketball operations Au...

Report: Lakers' Austin Reaves declines $89M max extension
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves declined a max extension this week that would have paid him $89.2 million over the next four seasons, The Athletic reported Thursday.,Reaves, 27, is heading into the third season of a four-year, $54 million contract he signed in July 2023 as a restricted free a...

Caitlin Clark ruled out ahead of Fever's game vs. Sparks
The top two picks of the 2024 WNBA Draft will be spectators when the Indiana Fever host the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night in Indianapolis.,Caitlin Clark was ruled out Thursday morning by the Fever due to a left groin injury.,Clark, who is averaging 18.2 points, is just 1-for-23 from 3-point r...

Fever rule Caitlin Clark out with groin injury
Superstar Caitlin Clark is out of the Indiana Fever's game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday in Indianapolis due to a left groin injury.,It is not immediately known if Clark will miss an extended period of time for the Fever (7-7), who announced the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft wouldn't pla...
NBA Free Agency 2025: LeBron James, Julius Randle, Chris Paul Among Top Names to Watch
As 2025 NBA free agency opens, stars like LeBron James, Julius Randle, Chris Paul and James Harden headline early rumors. Here's what to expect from the market....
Five NBA Teams That Turned Heads on Night One of the 2025 NBA Draft
From surprise picks to bold trades, here are the five NBA franchises that reshaped their future on the first night of the 2025 NBA Draft....

GM: Jason Kidd returning to coach Mavericks next season
Jason Kidd will be No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg's first NBA coach.,That's what Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told reporters Wednesday night after Dallas selected the Duke star in the draft.,There have been rumblings that Kidd wants to pursue the head coaching job with the New York Knicks,...

Fresh off milestone, A'ja Wilson, Aces set sights on Mystics
After celebrating an A'ja Wilson milestone on Wednesday, the Las Vegas Aces will try for a victory over the visiting Washington Mystics on Thursday night.,Wilson made WNBA history in the Aces' 85-59 victory over the visiting Connecticut Sun with a 22-point performance that included her 5,000th caree...

Sabrina Ionescu returns, helps Liberty hold off Valkyries
Breanna Stewart scored a game-high 23 points Wednesday night and Sabrina Ionescu canned seven straight free throws in the final 1:48, lifting the visiting New York Liberty to an 81-78 win over the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco.,After Kate Martin drained a corner 3-pointer with 1:59 remaini...

A’ja Wilson fastest to 5,000 points in Aces' rout of Sun
A'ja Wilson scored 22 points and became the fastest WNBA player with 5,000 career points as the Las Vegas Aces used a red-hot start to earn a 85-59 victory over the visiting Connecticut Sun on Wednesday., ,Jackie Young scored 20 points, Chelsea Gray had 15 and Jewell Lloyd added 13 as the Aces (7-7)...

NBA trade notebook: Grizzlies trade 4 picks for Cedric Coward
The Memphis Grizzlies made one of the first big moves on NBA Draft night by sending two first-round picks and two second-rounders to the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 11 overall selection, which they used to take Washington State guard Cedric Coward on Wednesday night.,The Grizzlies sent the No...

Best NBA draft prospects available after Round 1
With the first round and 30 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft books, teams are resetting their prospect boards to be prepared to make second-round selections on Thursday night. ,Minnesota will be active with the 31st pick to kick off the second day of the draft. The Timberwolves also have picks 37, 38 and...

Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe first picks of NBA Draft
Cooper Flagg anticipated the moment for many months.,Still, when the Duke product heard his name called Wednesday at No. 1 overall in the NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, he experienced a flurry of emotions.,"I'm feeling amazing," Flagg said as he stood with his family. "It's a dream come true, to...

NBA roundup: Grizzlies trade 4 picks for Cedric Coward
The Memphis Grizzlies made one of the first big moves on NBA Draft night by sending two first-round picks and two second-rounders to the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 11 overall selection, which they used to take Washington State guard Cedric Coward Wednesday night.,The Grizzlies sent the No. 1...