Basketball Page 31 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Kansas G Darryn Peterson declares for NBA draft
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson announced Friday that he is leaving school after just one season and 24 games to enter the 2026 NBA Draft.,He is expected to be a top pick in the draft in June. Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer of Duke have been tagged in multiple mock drafts as the three t...

Hawks look to build comfortable series lead over Knicks
The New York Knicks held a comfortable lead for most of their Game 1 win last weekend.,Since then, the Atlanta Hawks have made things massively uncomfortable for an opponent with aspirations of a deep postseason run.,The pressure is intensifying for the Knicks, who will look to even up the first-rou...
AJ Dybantsa’s Decision Proves NIL Still Can’t Compete With NBA Money
AJ Dybantsa declares for the NBA Draft. Here’s why skipping college was the obvious choice....
What Prediction Markets Are Telling Us About NBA Playoffs in the East
The Eastern Conference playoff picture is shifting. Here’s where the best value lies right now on prediction markets like Kalshi....

NBA roundup: Hawks get by Knicks again to take 2-1 series lead
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and sank the game-winning basket with 12.7 seconds left, lifting Atlanta to a 109-108 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.,The Hawks led 96-85 with 8:06 to go in the four...

Timberwolves shut down Nuggets, claim series advantage
Jaden McDaniels led a spirited defensive effort, reserve Ayo Dosunmu delivered a team-high 25 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves held the Denver Nuggets to a season-low shooting percentage en route to a 113-96 victory in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Thursday in...

NBA fines Suns' Devin Booker $35K but rescinds his technical
One day after calling a referee's performance "terrible," Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker received a $35,000 fine from the NBA on Thursday for his comments -- but he did receive some vindication from the league.,The NBA rescinded the technical foul called against Booker late in the third quarter, an...

Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett help Raptors halve Cavs' series egde
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett each scored 33 points Thursday night and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.,Reserve Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to ignite a Toronto surge that reduced ...

CJ McCollum, Hawks pull out 2nd straight tight win over Knicks
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and sank the game-winning basket with 12.7 seconds left, lifting Atlanta to a 109-108 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.,Game 4 in the best-of-seven set will be played ...

NBA fines Suns' Devin Booker $35K but rescind his technical
One day after calling a referee's performance "terrible," Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker received a $35,000 fine from the NBA on Thursday for his comments -- but he did receive some vindication from the league.,The NBA rescinded the technical foul called against Booker late in the third quarter, an...

Short-handed Lakers show grit in leading series vs. Rockets
Beyond LeBron James' individual brilliance and extensive postseason history of carrying teams to heights previously unimagined, perhaps the characteristic most overlooked within these Los Angeles Lakers was their collective ability to overcome obstacles during the regular season.,Even with James, Lu...

Thunder's Jalen Williams week-to-week with strained hamstring
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain injury and will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis, the team announced.,Williams underwent an MRI on Thursday, one day after he left Oklahoma City's 120-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter due to t...

Report: Bucks hiring former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins
Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins will be the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN reported on Thursday afternoon.,Jenkins, 41, was an assistant in Milwaukee in the 2018-19 season under head coach Mike Budenholzer. Jenkins was hired by Memphis in 2019 and became the franchise's a...

76ers, Celtics enter Game 3 all square; Philly 'hopeful' Joel Embiid returns
Welcome to the playoffs.,After the Boston Celtics dropped Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, those four succinct words from Jaylen Brown summarized the situation at hand for the division rivals.,The Celtics look to recover from a surprising defeat to the Sixers when the teams reconvene Friday in...

Report: Kelsey Mitchell still committed to upstart Project B
Kelsey Mitchell might be wavering on an overseas commitment due to the major improvement in the WNBA salary structure.,But the upstart Project B told Front Office Sports on Thursday that the Indiana Fever star is still committed to the global touring league that will begin play in December.,Mitchell...

Austin Reaves cleared for on-court work, could rejoin Lakers' lineup in 7-10 days
Austin Reaves is working out on the court and closing in on rejoining the Lakers' lineup. ,Reaves was cleared for the latest step in his progression of rehab from a Grade 2 oblique strain suffered on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the same game in which Luka Doncic (hamstring) was injure...

Victor Wembanyama (concussion) traveling with Spurs
Victor Wembanyama will travel with the San Antonio Spurs to Portland for playoff games this weekend while going through the league's concussion protocol.,Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Thursday that the star center is "progressing" and has not been ruled out for Game 3 against the Trail Blazers on F...

BYU's AJ Dybantsa, potential top pick, declares for draft
As expected, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa declared Thursday for the 2026 NBA Draft.,He made the announcement in his hometown of Brockton, Mass., at the Davis School, which he attended as a child.,The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa likely will be one of the top three picks in the draft. Fellow freshmen Darryn Peterson...

Celtics G Derrick White wins NBA Sportsmanship Award
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White was named the 2025-26 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner on Thursday.,White, 31, receives the Joe Dumars Trophy, named for the inaugural award recipient and Hall of Fame guard.,He is the second consecutive Celtics player to win the award following guard Jrue Holiday in...

France to host 2031 FIBA World Cup; Tokyo gets women's tourney
The FIBA Central Board has chosen France as the host of the 2031 FIBA Basketball World Cup, with Japan getting the Women's World Cup in 2030.,The French cities of Lille, Lyon, and Paris will co-host the event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14, with the final taking place in Paris.,The women's tournament will...