Basketball Page 48 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Donovan Mitchell, Cavs end Pelicans' 7-game home win streak
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, James Harden went for 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a fourth-quarter rally to snap the New Orleans Pelicans' seven-game home winning streak 111-106 on Saturday.,Cleveland (44-27) came back from down as many as 15 points, g...

LaMelo Ball, Hornets continue strong stretch, roll past Grizzlies
LaMelo Ball's 29 points led to another big offensive output for the Charlotte Hornets in their 124-101 victory against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.,Brandon Miller poured in 22 points for the Hornets (37-34), who have won five of their last six games. Charlotte also received cont...

Celtics' Luka Garza filling key role as unfocused Wolves visit
Nikola Vucevic will remain unavailable with a broken finger when the Boston Celtics face the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, but that doesn't mean Boston won't have a quality center.,Luka Garza has given the Celtics (47-23) more offense since Vucevic was injured on March 6. Garza av...

Thunder's win streak at 11 as Wizards lose 15th straight
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Wizards 132-111 on Saturday to stretch their winning streak to 11 and Washington's skid to 15.,Just before halftime, the Wizards' Justin Champagnie and the Thunder's Jaylin WIlliams got into a scuffle that led to...

Lowly Nets, Kings trying to finish season strong
Turning positive signs into wins will be the focus for both the Sacramento Kings and visiting Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.,Sacramento (18-53) is anchored to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but the Kings have shown steady improvement recently with four wins in their past seven games.,Broo...

Blazers hope road test could be helpful vs. Nuggets
Tanking is an issue for the NBA, but the Portland Trail Blazers are not guilty of jockeying for a better draft position.,Portland (35-36) has won three of four on its current road trip to move into eighth in the Western Conference entering Saturday, and can finish the trip 4-1 when it visits the Den...

Report: Nuggets' Peyton Watson to return vs. Trail Blazers
Denver Nuggets swingman Peyton Watson is expected to return for Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers following a 6 1/2-week absence due to a right hamstring injury, ESPN reported on Saturday.,Watson sustained the injury during Denver's 134-127 double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks ...

NBA fines Magic's Jalen Suggs $25K for throwing mouthpiece
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs was fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece toward the stands during a game this week, the NBA announced on Saturday.,The incident occurred with 5:35 remaining in the first quarter of Thursday's 130-111 home loss against the Charlotte Hornets. Suggs receiving a tech...

76ers' Andre Drummond fined $25K for objectionable gesture
Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond was fined $25,000 for making an inappropriate gesture on the court, the NBA announced on Saturday.,Drummond made the gesture with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter of Philadelphia's 139-118 victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Thursday.,Drummo...

Jared McCain helping on both ends as rolling Thunder visit Wizards
After his season-high 26-point performance, it's easy to focus on the offensive side of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain.,Heading into Saturday's road matchup with the Washington Wizards, however, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault is focusing more on the defensive side of McCain's game sin...

Wizards G Trae Young (quad, back) does not need surgery
Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young is dealing with a right quadriceps contusion and lower back irritation, the team announced Saturday.,"Both injuries are being treated conservatively and will not require surgery at this time," the team said in a press release. "Further updates will be provid...

Rockets to utilize tweaked starting lineup vs. Heat
With the regular season drawing to a close and the Houston Rockets in search of consistency on offense, second-year guard Reed Sheppard was inserted into the starting lineup against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday in the first game of a back-to-back set that will cap a Rockets five-game homestand.,Shepp...
March Madness Blowouts Show Growing Gap in College Basketball
NIL spending and talent disparity are reshaping the NCAA Tournament—and hurting early-round drama....

Hawks pursue 10th straight home win in clash vs. Warriors
The Atlanta Hawks will look to stretch their home winning streak to 10 games when they return from a two-game road trip to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.,The Hawks (38-32) had their season-long 11-game winning streak broken on Friday in a 117-95 loss at Houston, ending their longe...

After lengthy road trip, Suns look for bright spot vs. Bucks
Close games are becoming commonplace for the Phoenix Suns, who begin a four-game homestand against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.,The Suns (39-31) dropped their fourth straight game on Thursday after Victor Wembanyama hit a last-second jumper to give the San Antonio Spurs a 101-100 home victory.,P...

Grizzlies, facing daunting road to play-in, visit hot Hornets
The Memphis Grizzlies can't wait any longer to turn their season around.,The task could be difficult against the surging Hornets, however, when the teams meet Saturday night in Charlotte.,Memphis has lost nine of its past 10 games, including a 117-112 setback to visiting Boston on Friday night. The ...

Clippers hope trip to Dallas gets them back on track
While trying to overcome their worst stretch since reviving their season starting in late December, the Los Angeles Clippers will visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday while on a four-game losing streak.,The Clippers (34-36) reached a season-best two games over .500 on March 13 following a 7-1 run bu...

NBA roundup: Hawks' 11-game win streak snapped by Rockets
Kevin Durant scored 25 points in three periods as the Houston Rockets snapped the visiting Atlanta Hawks' 11-game winning streak with a 117-95 victory on Friday.,Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, who blitzed Atlanta from the deep in the third quarter. Houston hit 6 ...

Battling for top-six spot, Sixers face youth-driven Jazz
Earlier this week, Joel Embiid was said to be close to a return from a right oblique strain.,But he didn't play against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and he will be sidelined again on Saturday night when the 76ers face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.,That raises the absences to 12 straight for E...

Jamal Murray's 31-point output lifts Nuggets in comeback vs. Raptors
Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the host Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 121-115 on Friday night.,Tim Hardaway Jr. went 7-for-10 from 3-point range and finished with 23 points...