NBA News

Joel Embiid made his return to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday, April 26 after recovering from appendix surgery that kept him out of the first three games of the NBA playoffs and the Sixers’ lone game in the play-in tournament. Embiid started for the 76ers in Game 4 and played the majority of the first half against the Boston Celtics. He …

The Cleveland Cavaliers looked ugly once again as the Toronto Raptors tied their series 2-2. Let’s go over today’s losers. LOSER – The Core Four Yep, all of ‘em. Winning in the playoffs can often come down to having the best player on the floor. In the case of the Cavs, they have an argument for four of the five …

With just two days between games, the NBA has promptly sorted through discipline stemming from the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolvesaltercation, with no players drawing suspensions. The NBA announced Sunday, April 26 that Nuggets All-Star center and Most Valuable Player finalist Nikola Jokić has been fined $50,000, and Timberwolves forward Julius Randle has been fined $35,000, following a review of the incident. …

NEW YORK (AP) — Denver’s Nikola Jokic was fined $50,000 and Minnesota’s Julius Randle was fined $35,000 for their roles in an altercation near the end of Game 4 of the teams’ playoff series, the NBA announced Sunday. Both will be eligible to play when the series resumes Monday with Game 5 in Denver. Advertisement The incident was evidently sparked …

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Kevin Durant won’t play Sunday night in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers as the Rockets try to avoid being swept in the first-round Western Conference playoff series. Durant missed Game 3 with a sprained left ankle on Friday night, when the Rockets blew a six-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go in …

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid made a surprise return to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, back in the starting lineup for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics only 17 days after having an appendectomy. Embiid was starting for the first time since April 6, and the two-time NBA scoring champion hopes to spark a …

The Portland Trail Blazers went into halftime with a 17-point lead over the San Antonio Spurs, then completely collapsed in the second half. They simply couldn’t figure out a solution to the constant shot-making of De’Aaron Fox (28 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), and the stardom of Victor Wembanyama (27 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks, 4 steals, 3 assists). The …

The first round of the NBA playoffs has produced a spate of injuries, and the San Antonio Spurs are facing one more. On the day that Victor Wembanyama returned from a concussion, guard Stephon Castle, the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year, suffered an injured left hand during a drive to the basket Sunday, April 26 in Game 4 of …

On the verge of elimination, the Houston Rockets may once again be without their best player. All-Star forward Kevin Durant, who missed Houston’s Game 3 loss with a sprained ankle, had been listed as questionable on the team’s injury reports leading up to tip-off, which is scheduled for Sunday, April 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET. Advertisement Durant missed Houston’s 112-108 …

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their second straight game to the Toronto Raptors. The series is now tied 2-2, heading back to Cleveland. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. Advertisement Donovan Mitchell 20 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 turnovers We’ve seen the worst of Mitchell across the last two games. An overliance on jumpers. Not …

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been consistently criticized for being soft and unable to rise to the pressure of a playoff environment. They’ve publicly pushed back against that notion, but actions speak louder than words. The Cavs played scared offensively. Their highest-paid players didn’t just have a bad shooting performance — that could be explained. No, they shied away from the …

TORONTO — Scottie Barnes hit the go-ahead free throws in the final minute and scored 23 points, Brandon Ingram also added 23 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 on Sunday, tying the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at two games apiece. The best-of-seven series shifts to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday. Advertisement RJ Barrett scored …

You can make a reasonable case that Game 4 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors was on its way to being the biggest stinker of the 2026 playoffs so far. But then it was saved by a late-game surge by both teams, resulting in several clutch buckets and an intensity level that could rival the actual Finals. Twelve lead …

Facing a must-win Game 4 at home, down 0-3 in the series to the Lakers, the Rockets will be without Kevin Durant once again due to a bone bruise in his left ankle, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Officially, Durant is still questionable for Game 4 and the Rockets have made no official announcement. However, according to Charania, Durant went …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Los Angeles Lakers are just one win away from sweeping the Houston Rockets sans two of their three best players. Advertisement L.A. has been getting help elsewhere, and our NBA player prop projections have taken a liking to Deandre Ayton. Find out …

After missing one game with a concussion, Victor Wembanyama is listed as active and will return to the court on Sunday for San Antonio as it takes on Portland in Game 4 of their first-round series. Wembanyama exited Game 2 last Tuesday after a nasty face-first fall to the hardwood, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion and entered …

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is available to play Sunday in Game 4 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol. Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, missed Game 3 on Friday in Portland while going through the league’s concussion protocol. The …

Victor Wembanayma has cleared concussion protocol and is active for Sunday’s Game 4 between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs announced his status Sunday afternoon. Wembanyama sustained a concussion after hitting his chin hard on the floor during San Antonio’s Game 2 loss on Tuesday. He was placed in concussion protocol during the game and was …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. To the surprise of many, the Los Angeles Lakers have an opportunity to put away the Houston Rockets in just four games tonight. Advertisement Our Lakers vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks think there’s no reason to trust Houston tonight and expect Marcus …

When Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo tore his right Achilles on Saturday, it followed a strange pattern. DiVincenzo became the fourth NBA player to tear his Achilles in a playoff game over the past year — and all four players wore No. 0. DiVincenzo went down less than two minutes into the Timberwolves’ Game 4 win over the Denver Nuggets, …

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, one of the few legitimate title contenders, are on the brink of elimination in the first round of these playoffs. They trail the Minnesota Timberwolves, another championship contender, 3-1 in a best-of-seven set. Except, the Wolves lost both Anthony Edwards (left knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (right Achilles) to injury over the …

DENVER (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets have developed an intense rivalry, meeting in the NBA playoffs three times in the last four years. The Nuggets bounced the Wolves 4-1 in 2023 on their way to the franchise’s first NBA championship but Minnesota won the rematch a year later, capped by a 20-point second-half comeback in Game 7 …

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in their first-round matchup of the Western Conference playoffs. However, the Wolves lost two key players to injuries during the game that will make it harder to close out the series. Former Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo was removed from Game 4 less than a minute into …

The Boston Celtics took care of business in Philadelphia with a 108-100 win in Game 3. Boston leads the series 2-1, but remains in Philadelphia for a pivotal Game 4. Boston was much warmer from distance in Game 3 with a 43% mark from three (20/43) after going 13/50 (26%) in Game 2. Jaylen Brown has led Boston in scoring …

The Philadelphia 76ers will get a chance at home to even their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics on Sunday in Game 4. The Celtics were able to reclaim the series lead on Friday, going up 2-1 after defeating the hosting Sixers in Game 3. It was a much closer affair though than Boston’s first win in this series …