Basketball Page 40 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
NBA Finals ratings rise for Game 3; series still down
The viewership numbers made a modest comeback in Game 3 on Wednesday night as the Indiana Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.,The game in Indianapolis averaged 9.19 million viewers on ABC, a 5 percent increase from Game 2, according to a report from Fr...
Report: Nuggets G Russell Westbrook declining option
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook plans to decline his $3.47 million player option for next season, ESPN reported on Friday.,The decision would make the 36-year-old veteran a free agent on June 30. The nine-time All-Star is coming off surgery last month to repair two breaks to his right hand.,W...
Aces' A'ja Wilson likely to miss game vs. Paige Bueckers, Wings
Paige Bueckers missed four consecutive games and didn't even need to wipe off any rust.,Bueckers is fresh off the top outing of her short pro career as she leads the Dallas Wings into a Friday night battle against the host Las Vegas Aces.,Bueckers poured in 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting in Dallas' ...
Report: Lakers F Dorian Finney-Smith has ankle surgery
Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith had surgery on his left ankle and is expected to be ready for fall training camp for next season, ESPN reported on Thursday.,Finney-Smith, 32, has played through the lingering injury for several years, according to the report, and the surgery will make ...
Sky look for defensive answers in Atlanta
The Atlanta Dream will look to continue their strong play at home on Friday when they host the Chicago Sky and the league's worst defense in a WNBA Commissioner's Cup tilt.,Atlanta (6-3) enters play as winner in five of its last six games and has won three of four at home this season. After seeing t...
Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander determined to 'suck it up,' attack in Game 4
INDIANAPOLIS -- Physical and fast was the Pacers' defensive approach in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and more of the same is coming until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proves he and the Thunder can handle it.,"You got to suck it up. There's a maximum four games left in the season," Gilgeous-Alexander said Th...
Pacers, Thunder stick with same approaches for Game 4
The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't panicking.,The Indiana Pacers aren't taking anything for granted.,Heading into Friday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Indianapolis, the teams say they're not changing much about the approaches that have worked for them.,The Pacers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 -- a...
New York Knicks Coaching Search Update: Still Delusional, Still Getting Rejected
The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau without a plan and are now being rejected by multiple NBA teams in their search for a new head coach. Here’s why their approach is raising eyebrows across the league....
How The Indiana Pacers Shut Down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 3
The Pacers battered and frustrated NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into submission in Game 3, leaving Oklahoma City rattled and staring down the barrel of a Finals disaster....
Wings rookie Paige Bueckers puts up 35 in return to action
Dallas rookie standout Paige Bueckers returned from a four-game absence on Wednesday and put up a career-high 35 points in the Wings' 93-80 road loss to the Phoenix Mercury.,Bueckers missed three games due to a concussion and another because of an illness.,She came back to make 13 of 19 shots from t...
Aces' A'ja Wilson exits in third quarter with head injury
Three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson left the Las Vegas Aces' game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night with a head injury.,The Aces announced that additional information would be supplied as Wilson receives further evaluation.,Wilson took herself out of the game with 1:17 left in the third ...
Pacers backups star, stake Indiana to 2-1 Finals lead
INDIANAPOLIS -- NBA Finals marquees aren't for backups. However, as the 20,000 golden T-shirts in the arena said on Thursday, "But this is Indiana.",Reserve guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana's bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116...
Rickea Jackson scores 30 to help hot-shooting Sparks torch Aces
Rickea Jackson scored a career-best 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 97-89 victory over the host Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday night.,Azura Stevens recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dearica Hamby added 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Spa...
Balanced-scoring Storm send Lynx to first loss of season
Nneka Ogwumike's 21 points led a double-figure scoring effort from all five Seattle starters, and the Storm handed the visiting Minnesota Lynx their first loss of the season, 94-84 on Wednesday.,With Minnesota falling to 9-1, the New York Liberty (9-0) are the last unbeaten team in the WNBA.,Seattle...
Paige Bueckers' 35 points not enough as Wings fall to Mercury
Satou Sabally had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Alyssa Thomas also had a double-double in her return, and the host Phoenix Mercury weathered a career game from Paige Bueckers to beat the Dallas Wings 93-80 Wednesday.,Rookie Bueckers set season highs with 35 points and five 3-pointers after missing the ...
Aces' A’ja Wilson exits with apparent nose or head injury
Three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson exited the Las Vegas Aces' game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night with an apparent nose or head injury.,Wilson took herself out of the game with 1:17 left in the third quarter and immediately pulled a towel to her nose. She left the bench area a short ...
Backups bring down the house, Pacers take 2-1 Finals lead
INDIANAPOLIS -- Backup guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana's bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to claim a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.,Thanks to 27 points from Mathurin and the kind of pyrotechnics the Pacers hav...
Star rookie Paige Bueckers back in action for Wings
Wings rookie standout Paige Bueckers will return from a four-game absence when Dallas visits the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.,Bueckers missed three games due to a concussion and another because of an illness.,Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after being a college sta...
Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins booted from Puerto Rico league
Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was suspended by a Puerto Rico basketball league and had his contract rescinded after igniting a brawl earlier this week.,The Baloncesto Superior Nacional League also fined Cousins $4,250, and he could be subject to another fine of $5,570, according to the league...
Report: Suns weighing Kevin Durant trade options
The Phoenix Suns are actively working with Kevin Durant's business partner to weigh trade options, ESPN reported Wednesday.,The Suns and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman have met "multiple times" in the past week to discuss potential destinations for the future Hall of Famer, per the report.,Teams that ha...