Basketball Page 44 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Nikola Vucevic, Bulls emerge on top of Cavaliers
Nikola Vucevic collected 24 points and 15 rebounds and Matas Buzelis scored 24 points as the Chicago Bulls pulled away down the stretch for a 136-125 victory over the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.,Josh Giddey scored 17 points and Coby White had 13 points, six rebounds and a season-high nine as...

Candace Parker, Blake Griffin among Basketball HOF nominees
Determining the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 isn't going to be easy, at least judging by the list of eligible candidates released by the organization Friday.,Among the more notable names included for the first time are Jamal Crawford, Mike D'Antoni, Elena Delle Donne, Blake Griffin...

VJ Edgecombe's clutch finish carries Sixers past Knicks
VJ Edgecombe scored seven points down the stretch, guiding the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 116-107 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.,Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 30 points and nine assists, while Edgecombe supplied 23 points. Andre Drummond chipped in with 14 points and 13 rebou...

Victor Wembanyama powers Spurs to season sweep of Hawks
Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds to help the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 126-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.,The win gave San Antonio a sweep of the two-game season series. The Spurs have won four straight against the Hawks and improved to 10-5 on the road. Atlanta has lo...

Derrick White, Celtics pull away from banged-up Heat
Derrick White made 9 of 14 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 33 points while leading the Boston Celtics to a 129-116 home victory over the short-handed Miami Heat on Friday night.,It was a back-and-forth game through three quarters, but Boston outscored Miami 37-27 in the fourth. The Celtics m...

Warriors searching for answers in rematch with volatile Suns
The wildly unpredictable Dillon Brooks show heads to San Francisco on Saturday night when the Golden State Warriors get a rematch with the Phoenix Suns.,Devin Booker had 25 points and Jordan Goodwin dropped in a game-winning free throw in the final second as the Suns overcame a Warriors rally and a ...

Jaren Jackson Jr. heating up as Grizzlies welcome struggling Wizards
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked following a recent string of lackluster performances if the team's offensive approach under new coach Tuomas Iisalo was to blame.,Jackson quickly brushed the question aside and simply said it was a matter of his shots not falling.,He's been prove...

Pistons get brief respite at home vs. Hornets
The Detroit Pistons get one last opportunity to play in front of their home fans this month when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.,The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons will embark on a five-game road trip the remainder of December. ,Detroit has taken advantage of its home games th...

Pelicans ride rare winning streak, Pacers on downturn ahead of meeting
The host New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers meet on Saturday riding opposite trajectories over their last three games.,The Pelicans want to build on their longest winning streak of the season, currently at three games, when they welcome the Pacers for the first matchup between the teams thi...

Rockets return to Denver five days after frustrating OT loss
The last time the Houston Rockets were in Denver, they left angry and defeated. Five days later they have a chance to rewrite the ending when they return to face the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon.,Following Denver's 128-125 overtime win on Monday night, Houston head coach Ime Udoka was critical of t...

NBA reinstates ref Eric Lewis, assigns him to G League
The NBA announced the reinstatement on Friday of referee Eric Lewis, who retired in August 2023 amid a league investigation into violations of its social media policy.,Lewis, 54, was investigated for allegedly using a burner account on the social media site Twitter, now X, in order to defend himself...

Report: Rockets owners in talks to buy, relocate WNBA's Sun
Owners of the Houston Rockets are progressing in talks to purchase the Connecticut Sun and relocate the WNBA franchise, ESPN reported Friday.,No formal offer has been made, and the two parties have not entered an exclusivity agreement, per the report. At the same time, Sun owners haven't made a firm...

Timberwolves face tall task in encounter vs. NBA-best Thunder
It has been nearly six weeks since the Oklahoma City Thunder needed to build a winning streak.,Oklahoma City will go for back-to-back victories when it tips off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in Minneapolis. The Thunder are an NBA-best 25-2 for the season, but they fell short aga...

Playing time could be limited for Spurs' Victor Wembanyama vs. Hawks
The visiting San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks will have their ailing stars available when the teams meet on Friday night, although both stars could play diminished minutes as they continue to regain their health.,San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama has been dealing with a left calf injury that kept h...

Celtics' Jaylen Brown lighting up scoreboard entering clash vs. Heat
Boston's Jaylen Brown is having an MVP-caliber season, and he'll look to score at least 30 points for the sixth straight game when the Celtics host the Miami Heat on Friday night., ,Brown is averaging 29.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 25 contests this season. Despite his scoring streak, h...

Jalen Brunson, Knicks ride hot streak into matchup with Sixers
The New York Knicks, in the midst of an exciting week, will try to extend their momentum on Friday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers.,In the past seven days, New York defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup semifinals and then toppled the San Antonio Spurs to win the event's championship in L...

NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic takes all-time assist crown among centers
Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic compiled 23 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Orlando Magic 126-115 on Thursday night.,Jokic passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career assists by a center. The Denver star now has 5,667 assists, seven more than Ab...

Deni Avdija comes through at line in OT as Blazers nip Kings
Deni Avdija made two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime to cap a 35-point outing and give the Portland Trail Blazers a wild 134-133 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.,DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 33 points in overtime for the Kings, and he knocked down a turnaround jum...

Giannis Antetokounmpo 'locked in' with Bucks, not in on reported trade talks
Despite reports about discussions between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks regarding his future, the two-time NBA MVP said he is not a part of any of that.,Talking to reporters on Thursday as he continues to recover from a right calf strain which has sidelined him since early this month...

Luka Doncic's 45-point triple-double carries Lakers past Jazz
Luka Doncic scored 45 points, dished out 14 assists, collected 11 rebounds, and had five steals to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 143-135 on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.,Doncic earned his 85th career triple-double and his fifth with Los Angeles.,LeBron James tallied 28 points, 1...