NBA News

“You have to kill them.” This was JJ Redick’s response when asked about the challenges of closing out a team in a playoff series. His team experienced it firsthand when the Houston Rockets staved off elimination in Game 4. Then, with a chance to deliver the death blow in front of their home crowd, the Lakers once again failed to …

The Golden State Warriors cycled through injuries, lineups, and versions of themselves that never quite stuck. Jimmy Butler III went down. Stephen Curry missed time. Moses Moody didn’t make it through the year. By the end, it felt less like a season and more like something that kept getting interrupted. But even inside all that, there were nights where everything …

The Rockets are coming home to Houston. Not to start their off season, but to play Game 6 of their first round series with the Lakers. The series is now 3-2 in favor of the Lakers, and of course it’s easy to see a world where they Rockets would be ahead 3-2. They aren’t, of course, but they also have …

There’s a kind of relationship that only championship basketball produces. It isn’t friendship or a business. It’s something more volatile than either, built over four title runs, a thousand film sessions, and three knockdown fights a year just to establish the rules. Steve Kerr gave us the most honest line of the entire Warriors postmortem cycle when he told The …

A largely lifeless offensive performance from the Lakers saw the Rockets take a second consecutive win in the series in Game 5 on Wednesday, 99-93. The purple and gold still lead the series 3-2. While Austin Reaves returned for the contest and eclipsed 20 points, few other Lakers showed up as offense was hard to come by yet again. The …

The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a thriller against the Toronto Raptors, largely thanks to Dennis Schroder. Schroder, we all owe you an apology. You might have just saved the season. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. Advertisement Donovan Mitchell 19 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers This started off as another …

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James didn’t get overly excited last week when his Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a shocking 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets despite playing without their top two scorers. James also isn’t ready to panic after his Lakers lost their second straight potential clincher Wednesday night, putting them halfway to making an unwanted bit …

LOS ANGELES — There was a “here we go again” moment for Rockets fans in the final minutes of Game 5. A LeBron James bucket at the rim had turned a seven-point Rockets lead just 30 seconds earlier into a three-point lead — Houston fans had a flashback to their team’s collapse in the final 30 seconds of Game 3. …

The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back for a huge Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors. Let’s go over today’s losers. LOSER – The First Half I can’t blame anyone for feeling antsy in the first half. To be honest, if you weren’t starting to worry about a full-blown panic attack, then I don’t know how …

New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) Atlanta; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT LINE: Knicks -2.5; over/under is 213.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 3-2 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks look to clinch the series over the Atlanta Hawks in game six of the Eastern Conference …

The Houston Rockets forced a Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers, defeating them 99-93 in Game 5, in the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 29. The Rockets one-upped the Lakers, who saw the return of Austin Reaves. He scored 22 points in their Game 5 loss. The Lakers had been without Reaves most of the series …

CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden garnered the most attention in the series of moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made near the NBA trade deadline. However, the Cavaliers would have been in dire straits Wednesday night without Dennis Schroder. Advertisement Schroder scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers came back to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-120 in Game 5 …

The Houston Rockets are still on their back foot, but they’re two wins from achieving NBA history. After trailing by double-digits at one point in the first quarter, Houston roared back to take Game 5 99-93 against the Los Angeles and force a Game 6 in a series they once trailed 3-0. No NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 …

Toronto went to Cleveland with a singular mission. They wanted to do something neither team has done yet in this series: Win on the road. A challenging task on a regular day, even more so in the playoffs. The crowd is unwelcoming. The opponent is more comfortable. It’s no surprise they weren’t able to overcome the obstacle, dropping the game …

The Cleveland Cavaliers held their ground at home Wednesday, defeating the Toronto Raptors 125-120 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in their surprising first-round series. Many believed the Cavs were contenders this postseason to reach the Eastern Conference finals after acquiring James Harden at the trade deadline, but they are getting all they can handle from Toronto early …

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored a franchise playoff-record 45 points, including a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left, and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic 116-109 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series to stave off elimination. Orlando leads the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on …

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham came through for the Pistons when they needed him. With Detroit teetering on the brink of elimination, Cunningham outdueled Orlando’s Paolo Banchero in a sensational scoring matchup of former No. 1 overall picks. Cunningham had a franchise playoff-record 45 points and the top-seeded Pistons held off the eighth-seeded Magic for a 116-109 win on Wednesday …

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley hit a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the final period and finished with 23 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 125-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series. Cleveland leads the series 3-2. …

The NBA has finally revealed its new anti-tanking plan, and no one can say the league was afraid of rocking the boat. The league’s planned proposal went public on Wednesday and reportedly has the support of a majority of teams, with an owners’ vote to approve it scheduled for May 28. The crux of the system is a new 3-2-1 …

Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons aren’t giving up just yet. Cunningham dropped 45 points in a historic outing on Wednesday night to lead the Pistons to a 116-109 win over Paolo Banchero the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series. That kept the Pistons’ playoff hopes alive and forced a Game 6 later this week back …

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting one of their stars back. Austin Reaves has been cleared to play in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, the team announced Wednesday evening. He had previously been out since April 2 with a Grade 2 oblique strain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reaves had seemingly been inching toward a return, with reports he tried to …

HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 26: Reed Sheppard #15 of the Houston Rockets steals the ball from LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter in Game Four of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, …

NEW YORK (AP) — New Orleans’ DeAndre Jordan won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award Wednesday, edging Portland’s Jrue Holiday and Houston’s Jeff Green. Jordan finished with 1,445 points in voting by 385 current NBA players. Holiday — a three-time winner — finished with 1,437 points and Green had 1,420. Advertisement A panel of league executives selected 12 finalists, …

Victor Wembanyama will cry when and where he wants, thank you very much. The San Antonio Spurs has mostly received attention for the otherworldly stuff he does on the basketball court, but some have noticed his comfort with showing emotion after major breakthroughs. That was most notable when he started crying last month after a comeback win over the Los …

PHILADELPHIA — Both the Celtics and 76ers will be at full strength when they face one another for Game 6 on Thursday night. The Celtics have a completely clean injury and have no players sidelined for the fourth consecutive game. The 76ers will also be at full strength; the only player on their injury report is Joel Embiid, who is …