NBA Page 8 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NBA roundup: Luke Kennard's 27 sparks Lakers past Rockets in Game 1
Luke Kennard scored 27 points and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.,Deandre Ayton scored 19 points with 11 rebounds an...

Luke Kennard scores 27, Lakers take Game 1 against Rockets
Luke Kennard scored 27 points and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.,Deandre Ayton scored 19 points with 11 rebounds an...

Rockets open series vs. Lakers without star Kevin Durant (knee)
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant was ruled out for the playoff series opener against the host Los Angeles Lakers because of a right knee injury, coach Ime Udoka said before the game on Saturday.,"He bumped a knee in practice on Wednesday," Udoka said. "Hopefully, it's a one-game thing, but he tried...

Knicks use third-quarter spurt to down Hawks in Game 1
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start the decisive third-quarter run for the host New York Knicks, who pulled away for a 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Saturday night.,Game 2 of the best-of-seve...

Nikola Jokic posts triple-double as Nuggets outlast Wolves in Game 1
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.,Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a car...

Nikola Jokic posts triple-double as Nuggets outlast Timberwolves
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored 30 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.,Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16...

Blazers face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs to open playoffs
The Portland Trail Blazers will get their first look of the season at erstwhile league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama when they travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday in their opening game of the first round playoff series.,The Trail Blazers (42-40) clinched the seventh seed and a meetin...

Donovan Mitchell nets 32 as Cavaliers overpower Raptors
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-113 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round series Saturday.,Max Strus had 24 points off the bench and Evan Mobley scored 1...

Fresh off play-in win, Suns take on top-seeded Thunder
The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.,The Thunder haven't played in a week heading into Sunday's Game 1 of th...

'Underappreciated' Pistons open playoffs against Magic
The Detroit Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference for most of the season. They ride into the playoffs as the conference's top seed after winning 60 games.,There's still plenty of doubt whether the Pistons can live up to that status. Boston, with star forward Jayson Tatum back in acti...
Three NBA Playoff Teams Likely to Be Eliminated Early
Breaking down three NBA teams that could be eliminated early in the 2026 playoffs, including the Lakers and 76ers....

Thunder open NBA playoffs as heavy favorites to repeat
The Oklahoma City Thunder are overwhelming favorites to repeat as NBA champions.,Led by reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are listed at +110 to win the NBA Finals per DraftKings and +115 per BetMGM.,Oklahoma City finished the regular season with an NBA-best 64-18 record.,The Vict...

Celtics, 76ers renew acquaintances in series opener
Although the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers met four times during the regular season, each team will have a different look Sunday afternoon when they meet in Boston for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series., ,Boston and Philadelphia split their four games in the regular season, but ...

Raptors G Immanuel Quickley out for Game 1 vs. Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley will sit out Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series versus the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon due to a strained right hamstring, head coach Darko Rajakovic announced.,Quickley exited Toronto's regular-season finale against th...

Warriors' Steve Kerr to ponder future for a week or two
Warriors coach Steve Kerr wants to contemplate his situation for a week or two before discussing his future plans with Golden State officials.,Kerr, 60, has guided the Warriors to four championships -- the most recent one in 2022. Friday night's play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns marked the second tim...

Jalen Green, Suns shoot past Warriors, charge into playoffs
Jalen Green's 36 points helped lift the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs with a 111-96 play-in win over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Friday.,The Suns earned the Western Conference's eighth postseason seed. They will visit the defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday t...

Magic extend Hornets' playoff drought, face Pistons next
Paolo Banchero scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures for the host Orlando Magic, who advanced to the Eastern Conference playoffs by routing the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in a play-in game on Friday night.,The Magic, who finished eighth during the regular season, earned the eighth se...

Knicks begin championship-or-bust playoff run vs. upstart Hawks
The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks each were Cinderella stories the last time they opposed each other in the NBA playoffs.,Only the Hawks qualify for that moniker this time around.,The Knicks will begin a championship-or-bust pursuit when they host the Hawks in the first game of a best-of-seven E...

Rockets-Lakers series 'much deeper' than LeBron James-Kevin Durant tilt
A pair of NBA legends will square off once more when the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets face off in a first-round series starting Saturday in Los Angeles.,Kevin Durant led the Rockets to the No. 5 seed in his first season with the team, while LeBron James has helped guide the Lakers to the N...

Storylines abound as Scottie Barnes, Raptors open series at Cavs
Success came quickly for Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes, who won the Rookie of the Year award and got a taste of the playoffs four years ago.,Two All-Star selections followed, but a return to the postseason proved elusive until now.,The fifth-seeded Raptors will challenge the fourth-se...