Basketball Page 44 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Wings coming in hot for matchup with Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks play the second of three consecutive home games on Friday when they welcome Paige Bueckers and the surging Dallas Wings.,Last time out, Dallas (6-3) picked up its third consecutive win thanks to a defensive masterclass in a 79-56 home rout of Seattle on Monday. The Wings force...

Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark lead Fever past Dream
Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 25 points on Thursday to help lead the Indiana Fever to an 83-71 victory over the Atlanta Dream in Indianapolis.,Aliyah Boston had 19 points and seven rebounds and Caitlin Clark tallied 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Fever (5-4), who snapped a ...

Trump plans to attend NBA Finals next week in New York
President Donald Trump plans to attend an NBA Finals game -- or two -- next week in New York at the invitation of Knicks owner James Dolan.,"The answer is yes," Trump said Thursday of attending the league championship series between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. "(Dolan) has invited me, and ...

Sky, Sun both aim to snap out of early-season funks
Wins have been hard to come by for both the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun.,The Sky hope to avoid a sixth straight loss and finally notch their first win at home this season when they face the Sun on Friday night.,Chicago (3-6) has gone winless since a 3-1 start and lost four of the last five games...

Josh Hart, Knicks present unique challenge for Spurs in Game 2
SAN ANTONIO -- Jalen Brunson displayed plenty of grit in the New York Knicks' Game 1 victory in the NBA Finals, but second on the Most Valuable list in the early stages of the series is do-it-all veteran Josh Hart.,The 6-foot-5 Hart only scored three points and missed four of his five shots. But he ...

Spurs focus on selves, stress details ahead of Game 2
SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson is emphasizing the obvious, that his team still is at home with a chance to even the NBA Finals on Friday night.,The positive perspective comes after San Antonio saw the New York Knicks rally and swipe Game 1 on Wednesday.,"Series are long. G...

NBA bans fans for rushing court, Wemby in Game 1
The cost of an on-court selfie with Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the NBA Finals was a lifetime ban by the league for a pair of fans who disrupted the game in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night in San Antonio.,San Antonio trailed the New York Knicks 92-86 and had possession wi...

76ers name Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey as head of basketball ops
The Philadelphia 76ers continued their front-office rebuild by naming Mike Gansey the president of basketball operations on Thursday.,Gansey, 43, comes to Philadelphia after 15 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. He was promoted to general manager on Feb. 23, 2022, and the Cavaliers h...
Jalen Brunson Continues Legendary Playoff Run In NBA Finals Debut
Jalen Brunson scored 13 fourth-quarter points and led the Knicks on an 11-0 closing run to defeat the Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals....
Thunder Must Balance Championship Aspirations With Looming Contract Questions
After a disappointing end to their title defense, the Oklahoma City Thunder face key decisions involving Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and the NBA Draft....

Spurs own worst enemy late in Game 1 loss to Knicks
SAN ANTONIO -- Five-plus minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, the New York Knicks' 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy.,The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period. They trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points and ...

Adam Silver: NBA hopes to end Clippers probe soon
The NBA's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' alleged salary-cap violation is nearing the end, or so commissioner Adam Silver hopes.,Speaking ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, Silver said that the inquiry is "close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up.",In ...

Mercury halt 6-game skid as Storm drop 4th straight
Natasha Mack scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Phoenix Mercury snapped a six-game losing streak with a 72-68 victory against the host Seattle Storm in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday night.,Kahleah Copper also scored 16, Monique Akoa Makani tallied seven of her 12 points in th...

Jalen Brunson sparks Knicks' rally past Spurs in Finals opener
SAN ANTONIO -- Jalen Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to post a 105-95 victory over the host San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.,Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds ...

Valkyries challenge league-best Lynx in early Commissioner's Cup battle
The Golden State Valkyries and Minnesota Lynx look to get the upper hand in the Western Conference's Commissioner's Cup standings when they meet Thursday in Minneapolis.,Both earned impressive wins in their Cup openers to set up an early showdown between two of the top four teams in the WNBA's overa...

Knicks C Mitchell Robinson appears off bench in Finals Game 1
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, listed as questionable for Game 1 of the NBA Finals due to a hand injury, came off the bench to play against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.,He entered with 4:13 to play in the first quarter and New York ahead 14-12, replacing Karl-Anthony Towns.,Robinso...

Liberty's Jonquel Jones logs 22 points, 17 boards in win over Tempo
Jonquel Jones posted 22 points and 17 rebounds while leading the host New York Liberty to a 97-82 win over the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday.,Tempo rookie Kiki Rice scored nine points but left the game with 1:33 remaining due to an injury to her left leg.,New York's Breanna Stewart scored 17 of her 19 ...

Terry Rozier fights ruling to forfeit most of $26.6M salary due to alleged role in gambling scheme
The NBA has been granted the authority to withhold most of Terry Rozier's $26.6 million salary due to his alleged role in an illegal betting plot, yet Rozier is fighting back.,A motion filed Wednesday by Rozier's attorney revealed the details of the previous arbitration ruling, as well as Rozier's i...

Fever's Caitlin Clark downplays disagreement, focuses on Dream
The Indiana Fever and star Caitlin Clark have had plenty of time to ruminate over recent disappointing outings. The road ahead doesn't get easier, though, as the Fever host the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Dream on Thursday in Indianapolis.,Indiana (4-4) hasn't played since Saturday, when it s...

NBA Finals G1: Knicks-Spurs Preview, Props, Prediction
The New York Knicks will begin their NBA Finals quest for a first title in 52 years as significant Game 1 underdogs at San Antonio on Wednesday night. ,The Spurs, who enter as the series favorites, open at home as consensus 4.5-point favorites just hours ahead of tip-off. However, that is a full poi...