Basketball Page 39 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Celtics never trail in triumph over Trail Blazers
Payton Pritchard scored a game-high 23 points and Jaylen Brown finished with 20 to lead the Boston Celtics to a 102-94 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.,Pritchard made 5 of 11 3-point attempts and also grabbed four rebounds. Brown had eight rebounds, five assists and ...

Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant lead Rockets to comeback win over Memphis
Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant tallied 33 points apiece to fuel the Houston Rockets to a 108-99 comeback victory at home over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.,Sengun added nine rebounds and six assists to his ledger, and almost singlehandedly orchestrated the Rockets' fourth-quarter ra...

Luka Doncic fires in 46 points as Lakers blast Bulls
Luka Doncic scored 46 points and handed out 11 assists and LeBron James contributed 24 points as the Los Angeles Lakers earned a 129-118 win against the host Chicago Bulls on Monday.,Rui Hachimura added 23 points and Marcus Smart had 12 for the Lakers, who won for the fourth time in five games while...

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers ready to feast on porous Jazz defense
It's tough to find an NBA team currently playing better basketball than the Los Angeles Clippers.,The Clippers enter Tuesday's clash with the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City as winners in eight of their last nine games -- the league's best run over the last three weeks. It has thrust a team seemingly bo...

Donovan Mitchell's big night leads Cavs over struggling Magic
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 of his 45 points in the first half and Evan Mobley had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Orlando Magic 114-98 on Monday night, sweeping their home-and-home set.,Jaylon Tyson, named to the Rising Stars Game at All-Star weekend earlier ...

Suns adjusting to life without Devin Booker, face lowly Nets
The Phoenix Suns will look to regain their offensive rhythm when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, understanding things change without leading scorer Devin Booker.,Booker's absence stood out in the Suns' 111-102 home loss to Miami on Sunday, when they shot 37% from the field and made only 7 of...

Pistons launch tough road trip with test vs. Nuggets
The slog of an 82-game schedule becomes tough in January, when winter has settled in and injuries add up.,The Detroit Pistons are feeling it as they embark on a three-game road trip Tuesday night at the Denver Nuggets. ,All-Star Cade Cunningham is dealing with a wrist injury that sidelined him for t...

Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper headline Rising Stars selections
Top three NBA draft picks Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe headline the 10 rookies named to the annual Rising Stars showcase as part of NBA All-Star weekend.,The 28 players selected to compete at Rising Stars were revealed Monday night. In addition to the rookies, there are 11 second-year...

Thunder hope to emerge from tough stretch, battle Pelicans
Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder are facing some challenges, with two starters out and several other rotational players injured, Mark Daigneault views it as a positive.,"There's a lot of headwinds in the NBA -- scheduling, injuries, refereeing, shot variance, and everybody deals with it at diff...

Knicks look to avenge recent loss to lowly Kings
The first time this month the New York Knicks gained some momentum, it vanished with a surprising loss to the Sacramento Kings.,The Knicks will look to avoid repeating history Tuesday night when they host the Kings in the final battle of the season between the nonconference foes.,The Knicks have bee...

Hornets ride massive 3rd quarter to blow out 76ers
Brandon Miller poured in 30 points and was one of eight Charlotte players in double figures as the Hornets blew out the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 130-93 on Monday afternoon.,Miller shot 9-for-12 from the field, making six 3-point baskets to lead the Hornets in scoring for the sixth game in a row. ...

Hawks beat Pacers in Monday matinee for third straight victory
C.J. McCollum came off the bench to lead three Atlanta players with 20-plus points and the Hawks came from behind to defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 132-116 on Monday afternoon.,McCollum scored 23, Dyson Daniels had 22 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 to pace Atlanta to its third consecutive...

Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher, Kristaps Porzingis nearing return
Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher and center Kristaps Porzingis are getting closer to a return to the lineup.,Both players have missed the last eight games, Risacher with a bone contusion on his left knee and Porzingis with left Achilles tendinitis. The Hawks are 4-4 in their absence.,On Mond...

Rockets, Grizzlies clash as injuries tighten rotations
The injury bug refuses to let go of the Houston Rockets, and with the first half of their season partly shaped by players who haven't been available, victories against tough odds tend to feel more meaningful.,The Rockets' 111-104 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday came in the second half of...

Warriors, Wolves face fatigue concerns on second night of back-to-back games
The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost five games in a row for the first time this season.,If nothing else, a quick turnaround will prevent the team from dwelling on the skid.,The Timberwolves will try to break out of their slump when they tip off against the Golden State Warriors for the second time ...

NBA roundup: Zion Williamson, Pelicans win at San Antonio in a stunner
Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson scored 24 points each and both canned key free throws down the stretch as New Orleans took a big second-half lead and finished with a flurry to stun host San Antonio 104-95 on Sunday.,Bey and Williamson each grabbed 10 rebounds in the Pelicans' win while Trey Murphy II...

Clippers remain on roll, take advantage of struggling Nets
Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points in 25 minutes and the Los Angeles Clippers continued their recent domination by sailing to a 126-89 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.,James Harden had 19 points and eight assists and John Collins scored 18 points as Los Angeles won for the 15th i...

Heat beat travel logistics, Suns for road victory
Bam Adebayo scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and the sleep-deprived Miami Heat pulled away from the host Phoenix Suns for a 111-102 victory on Sunday.,Norman Powell had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his...

Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson lift Pelicans to upset win over Spurs
Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson scored 24 points each and both canned key free throws down the stretch as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans finished with a flurry to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-95 on Sunday.,The Pelicans led by 20 just past the midway point of the third quarter and by 14 heading i...

Raptors top Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rallies to extend streak
Immanuel Quickly scored 23 points, including a pair of critical 3-pointers in the final two minutes, to lift the Toronto Raptors to a 103-101 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.,The game was nip-and-tuck throughout, with no team leading by more than seven the entire way.,With just les...