Basketball Page 353 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Hornets star LaMelo Ball (calf) out at least two weeks
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will be sidelined at least two weeks with a left calf strain, the team announced on Saturday.,Ball sustained his injury late in the fourth quarter of Charlotte's 98-94 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. ,He sat out the Hornets' 99-98 setback to the New York Knic...

Without LaMelo Ball, Hornets face tough task vs. surging Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks and host Charlotte Hornets are finding out about roster depth in different ways this week and will be tested again when they meet Saturday night.,Charlotte was without top scorer LaMelo Ball on Friday night and will be again for at least the next two weeks due to a left calf strain...

Lynx add Eric Thibault, Lindsay Whalen to coaching staff
The Minnesota Lynx bolstered their coaching staff on Saturday by adding former Washington Mystics bench boss Eric Thibault as associate head coach and franchise legend Lindsay Whalen as an assistant coach.,"I am excited to add both Eric and Lindsay to our coaching staff," Lynx head coach and preside...

Report: Lakers C Jaxson Hayes (ankle) out 2-3 weeks
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes is expected to be sidelined two to three weeks after re-injuring his right ankle, ESPN reported on Saturday.,Hayes, 24, underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed the extent of the ankle sprain.,The 7-foot Hayes returned to play on Tuesday against the Phoenix Sun...

Hornets hope to have LaMelo Ball back against surging Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks and host Charlotte Hornets are finding out about roster depth in different ways this week and will be tested again when they meet Saturday night.,Charlotte was without top scorer LaMelo Ball on Friday night. Player availability will be critical again leading up to Saturday's game b...

76ers limp into Detroit to face 'selfless' Pistons
The foundering Philadelphia 76ers offered a mixed bag in injury news on Friday.,They won't have star center Joel Embiid for the fourth consecutive game on Saturday night when they play the Pistons. He'll miss the team's visit to Detroit due to left-knee-injury management and personal reasons.,Paul G...

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steps up late as Thunder top Lakers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points, nine assists and six rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 101-93 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup game Friday.,The Thunder improved to 2-1 in the West Group B while the Lakers, the defending NBA Cup champions, fell to 2-2.,Jalen Wil...

Deandre Ayton, Trail Blazers breeze past Kings
Deandre Ayton recorded 26 points and nine rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers cruise to a 115-106 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings on Friday night in NBA Cup action.,Anfrenee Simons had 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds and Deni Avdija added 20 points, nine rebounds and fiv...

NBA roundup: Anthony Edwards, Wolves edge Clippers
Anthony Edwards made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 93-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in Minneapolis in West Group A action of the NBA Cup., ,Minnesota got two offensive rebounds in the final seconds to run out the clock., ,Edwa...

Hawks claim NBA Cup group with another win over Cavs
De'Andre Hunter scored a team-high 23 points off the bench, helping lead Atlanta to a 117-101 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday as the Hawks clinched advancement in the NBA Cup.,Trae Young added 21 points and 11 assists for Atlanta, which beat Cleveland for the second straight ...

Jimmy Butler, Heat add to Raptors' road struggles
Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 26 points as the host Miami Heat defeated the Toronto Raptors 121-111 in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.,The Heat (2-2) and Raptors (0-3) are out of contention for the NBA Cup.,In the overall standings, Miami (9-8) tied its season high at one game over .500. Toronto ...

Celtics eliminate Bulls from NBA Cup contention
Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 29 points as the visiting Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 138-129 Friday in the fourth NBA Cup game for each team.,A Tatum free throw handed Boston a 125-115 lead with 4:11 to play. Chicago sliced its d...

Cade Cunningham returns to spark Pistons to comfortable win over Pacers
Cade Cunningham returned from an injury to put up 24 points and the Detroit Pistons remained unbeaten in the NBA Cup while also formally eliminating the defending runner-up with a 130-106 road win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.,Malik Beasley paced Detroit with 25 points, while Jaden Ivey c...

Franz Wagner helps Magic blast Nets for 5th straight win
Franz Wagner scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half as the red-hot Orlando Magic seized control late in the second quarter and pulled away in the third for a 123-100 NBA Cup victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night in New York.,Orlando improved to 3-0 in Group A and started a stretch of ...

Anthony Edwards steps up late as Wolves edge Clippers
Anthony Edwards made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 93-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in Minneapolis in West Group A action of the NBA Cup., ,Edwards turned a 90-87 deficit into a 93-90 lead by throwing down a dunk, knocking dow...

Franz Wagner helps Magic blast Nets
Franz Wagner scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half as the red-hot Orlando Magic seized control late in the second quarter and pulled away in the third for a 123-100 NBA Cup victory over the Brooklyn Nets Friday night in New York.,Orlando improved to 3-0 in Group A and started a stretch of thr...

Mavs may get Luka Doncic back against host Jazz
Injured star Luka Doncic will join the Dallas Mavericks on their upcoming road trip and could play as soon as Saturday in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz.,After missing the past five games due to an injured wrist, Doncic returned to practice with his teammates on Friday. It's uncertain whether ...

Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry both expected to go as Suns host Warriors
Two teams looking to turn things back in a positive direction hook up Saturday night, when the Phoenix Suns host the Golden State Warriors in a matchup of teams that suffered a home loss to the Brooklyn Nets this week.,The game could feature a somewhat rare head-to-head between Olympic teammates Kev...

Bucks look to extend win streak against NBA-worst Wizards
Two teams headed in opposite directions meet when the Milwaukee Bucks face the visiting Washington Wizards on Saturday.,After losing eight of their first 10 games, the Bucks have turned things around and bring a five-game winning streak into Saturday's contest.,While Milwaukee was able to find solut...

Ja Morant, Grizzlies handle banged-up Pelicans
Ja Morant scored 27 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 23 and reserve Santi Aldama had 20 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to their first NBA Cup victory Friday, 120-109 over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.,The Pelicans, playing without Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (right calf ...