Basketball Page 431 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Nets retiring Vince Carter's No. 15 jersey
Vince Carter spent a lot of time soaring above the court when he starred for the New Jersey Nets.,His No. 15 jersey will now hang there permanently, the Brooklyn Nets announced on Wednesday.,The high-flying guard, a member of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2024, averaged 23.6 points in four-plus season...

Report: Cavs G Donovan Mitchell to miss Game 5 vs. Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell is expected to sit out Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the host Boston Celtics, The Athletic reported.,Mitchell, officially listed as questionable, also missed Game 4 with a left calf strain. The Cavaliers dropped ...
Golden State's WNBA team unveils Valkyries branding… What the hell is a Valkyrie?
The WNBA is expanding, which, of course, is outstanding news. But what the hell is a Golden State Valkyrie? Let's take a look....

Nikola Jokic guides Nuggets to 3-2 series edge on Wolves
Nikola Jokic celebrated his third MVP trophy ceremony by scoring 40 points and handing out 13 assists as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97 on Tuesday in Game 5 of a Western Conference semifinal series.,Aaron Gordon logged 18 points and 10 rebounds while Jamal Murray and ...

Nikola Jokic guides Nuggets to 3-2 edge on Wolves
Nikola Jokic celebrated his third MVP trophy ceremony by scoring 40 points and handing out 13 assists as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97 on Tuesday in Game 5 of a Western Conference semifinal series.,Aaron Gordon logged 18 points and 10 rebounds while Jamal Murray and ...

Alanna Smith pours in 22 as Lynx overtake Storm
Alanna Smith added a career-high 22 points in her debut with her new team, Napheesa Collier added 20 points and 12 rebounds and the visiting Minnesota Lynx rallied for an 83-70 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday in a season opener for both teams.,Courtney Williams, also in her Lynx debut, pro...

Sparks leaning on rookies as season tips off vs. Dream
Two Los Angeles rookies will make their highly anticipated WNBA debuts on Wednesday night when the host Sparks open their season against the Atlanta Dream.,Forwards Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, the No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks in last month's draft, respectively, are set to take center stage a...

Jalen Brunson scores 44, Knicks pound Pacers in Game 5
Jalen Brunson scored 44 points Tuesday night for the host New York Knicks, who routed the Indiana Pacers 121-91 in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.,The Knicks, who lost Games 3 and 4 in Indianapolis, now hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. New York will attempt to clinch a ...

Caitlin Clark scores 20 in WNBA debut as Fever lose to Sun
DeWanna Bonner climbed the all-time scoring list with 20 points and the Connecticut Sun capitalized on Caitlin Clark's mistake-prone WNBA debut to defeat the Indiana Fever 92-71 in the season opener Tuesday in Uncasville, Conn., ,Clark, who was chosen with the No. 1 pick after a record-breaking coll...

Bronny James: 'Mindset' is making NBA, not playing with dad
Bronny James' name is a lot more famous than his game right now, and it's clear he would like to change that.,The son of LeBron James told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday that his focus is simply on reaching the league, not necessarily on teaming up with his legendary father.,"I would ...

Jonquel Jones, Liberty hold off Mystics
Jonquel Jones scored 25 points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 20 as the visiting New York Liberty earned a season-opening, 85-80 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday.,The Liberty were also boosted by the play of Sabrina Ionescu, who piled up 15 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two ...

Wings, Sky enter new season missing injured bigs
The Dallas Wings return a pair of top-10 scorers from last season in guard Arike Ogunbowale and forward Satou Sabally as they enter Wednesday's season opener against the visiting Chicago Sky.,But with Sabally sidelined by a shoulder injury that's expected to keep her out until after the Olympic brea...

Thunder set to push Mavericks to brink of elimination
Top-seeded and playing like it again, the Oklahoma City Thunder have stacked the odds in their favor as they head into Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series Wednesday against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.,With a 100-96 victory in Game 4 Monday, the Thunder have evened the series at tw...

Illinois G Terrence Shannon Jr. preparing for draft, rape trial
CHICAGO -- Terrence Shannon Jr. faces rape and sexual assault charges in Kansas next month in a trial scheduled to begin two weeks before the 2024 NBA Draft.,Illinois' All-American guard was briefly suspended last season when the allegations became public, but gained reinstatement when a judge ruled...

Celtics looking to close out visiting Cavs in Game 5
Donovan Mitchell's availability will be among the top storylines Wednesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Boston Celtics for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.,A strained left calf prevented Mitchell from playing Monday, when the top-seeded Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-se...

Kentucky's Reed Sheppard lights up NBA Draft Combine
CHICAGO -- A few weeks ago, Reed Sheppard was wrestling with a "family decision" far from the stay-or-go variety for college freshmen at the end of the season.,Circumstances and emotions were high. Kentucky head coach John Calipari exited stage left for Arkansas. Replacement Mark Pope just so happen...
Caitlin Clark is an Underdog in Her WNBA Debut
I won’t pretend to know much about the WNBA, but I was absolutely stunned to learn that Caitlin Clark was an underdog in her professional debut against Connecticut Sun....
Celtics big test: Awaken from East cakewalk for the NBA Finals
Thanks to a 64-win regular season, the Boston Celtics secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and a favorable path to the NBA Finals. But this is turning into a cakewalk. Boston defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers 109-102 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in its Eastern Conference semi...

Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert fined $75K for 'money gesture'
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for making what it called "an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture.",The NBA said in its announcement that Gobert's gesture -- known as the "money gesture" -- "questions the integrity of the league and its game off...

Fever popular with public, but Aces favored to 3-peat
The two teams garnering the most interest from the public will be on display as part of the WNBA's four-game opening night slate on Tuesday.,The Las Vegas Aces will begin their quest for a three-peat at home against the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces open the regular season as the +100 title favorites at...