NBA News

Thomas Haugh was projected as a possible lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. ESPN ranked the 6’9 junior wing at No. 13 overall on its big board, which is historically the best gauge of how NBA executives and scouts are viewing a player in the draft process. SB Nation had Haugh at No. 21 overall in its post-March Madness …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Philadelphia 76ers have stolen home court advantage from the Boston Celtics as this Round 1 series swings to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3. Advertisement Despite that, Boston is a sizable road favorite, and my Celtics vs. 76ers predictions expect …

Kevin Durant returned to the Houston Rockets lineup for Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing Game 1 with a knee injury. Now he’s questionable for Game 3 with a new ankle injury. The Rockets listed Durant as questionable on Thursday for Friday’s game. Per the Rockets, Durant is dealing with a sprained left ankle. Advertisement Details of …

The Philadelphia 76ers are “hopeful” star center Joel Embiid will be able to return for their first-round series against the Boston Celtics less than a month removed from his emergency appendectomy. Embiid, who began a strength and conditioning program earlier this week, took a big step toward making that timely comeback, participating in parts of the Sixers’ Thursday practice. On …

Earlier this week, we took a look back on some of the players whose preseason rankings missed the mark, with some being more egregious than others. This column focuses on the “hits,” with some making good on high expectations and others proving the skeptics correct. Rankings are an inexact science, to say the least, but they are fun to look …

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks are finalizing a deal with Taylor Jenkins to fill their head-coaching position that became vacant after Doc Rivers’ departure, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because no hire had been announced. ESPN first reported that the Bucks …

The Oklahoma City Thunder had to figure out how to win without Jalen Williams for most of the regular season, they are going to have to do it again, likely for at least the rest of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. Jalen Williams has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and “he will be re-evaluated …

Back when Kentucky Basketball lost assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart, rumors began to circulate that Mark Pope was making a push for Jamal Crawford as a potential replacement. However, nothing came of it, and it appeared that ship had sailed. Advertisement Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Matt Jones are reporting that there’s still a chance that Crawford …

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly hiring Taylor Jenkins as the organization’s new head coach, replacing Doc Rivers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne. BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks and Taylor Jenkins are finalizing a deal to make Jenkins the franchise's new head coach, sources tell me and @ramonashelburne. Jenkins, a Bucks assistant in 2018-19, went 250-214 and made three …

When the Los Angeles Lakers lost Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, their top two scorers during the regular season, just two weeks before the start of the 2026 NBA playoffs, it seemed like a fatal blow to their chances of not only contending for the NBA title, but of even making it out of the opening round of the postseason. …

After a remarkable freshman season at BYU, 19-year-old forward AJ Dybantsa officially announced that he will declare for the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa will turn pro as an early entry candidate after a successful and impressive one-and-done collegiate campaign. The former McDonald’s All-American forward averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is currently projected …

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show Kevin O’Connor & Tom Haberstroh break down every Playoff series through the first two games of Round 1. They cover the Pistons’ third quarter outburst, the controversy around the Thunder flopping against the Suns, LeBron’s dominance against KD and more. Advertisement The pair share insights on the impact of injuries to stars like Jalen …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves head to the North Star State as their first-round series shifts venues, with the matchup tied 1-1. Advertisement Our Nuggets vs. Timberwolves predictions and free NBA picks have the visitors reclaiming the series lead on April 23. …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. Scott Foster might grab the headlines tonight, but the real story belongs to the players on the floor. Someone might want to remind him before tip-off in Minnesota, because Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and more are ready to take center stage for their …

Victor Wembanyama will be traveling with the San Antonio Spurs to Portland for Game 3 of their first-round series, but whether he will be able to play in Game 3 Friday night — or even Game 4 on Sunday — remains unclear. “He looks good. The update is that he is following the league’s protocol and he’s progressing, and he’ll …

Derrick White of the Boston Celtics is the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award winner for this season, as selected by his fellow players across the league. White got 20% of the first-place votes from the 386 players who cast ballots. TJ McConnell of the Indiana Pacers — who actually got more first-place votes, almost 22% — was second, while Harrison Barnes of …

A former Kentucky Wildcat was awarded with the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year Award. Keldon Johnson received the award after a season in which he averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the San Antonio Spurs, while shooting just shy of 52 percent from the floor and about 36 percent from beyond the arc. Advertisement Johnson became …

AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick on most draft boards, is headed to the NBA. Dybantsa made the expected official on Thursday, dropping a short on his YouTube channel saying he was declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa climbed to the top of most teams’ draft boards after an impressive freshman season at BYU, averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 …

Nearly 5,000 men’s college basketball players entered the transfer portal this window (4,949 to be exact). Believe it or not, that’s actually down from last season’s number of 5,428, which was a five-year high from all three NCAA levels — Division I, II, III. Advertisement Per transfer portal data reviewed by USA TODAY Sports this week after the women’s and …

Chris Nowinski ducked out during a break of a high-level meeting with NFL players and executives so he could talk about Victor Wembanyama. The night before, the founding CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation saw the 7-foot-4 San Antonio center’s chin slam into the hardwood in Game 2 of the Western Conference first round. Wembanyama left the game and …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. We’re back with NBA player prop projections for Game 3 between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks. Our computer picks include plays for big-time players like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Advertisement For more NBA picks, take a look at our complete …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks head to Georgia to continue their first-round series, all knotted up at one game apiece. Advertisement Our Knicks vs. Hawks predictions and free NBA picks expect the visitors to take back the series lead on April …

Jalen Williams’ injury-plagued regular season has followed him to the playoffs. Williams checked himself out of the Thunder’s eventual Game 2 win over the Suns in the third quarter, grabbing his left hamstring. Williams missed a contested transition layup, and as soon as he landed, he grabbed his leg. Williams quickly checked himself out of the game and did not …

The Phoenix Suns were looking to bounce back in Game 2 in Oklahoma City, and while a 13-point loss does not scream “bounce back,” it kind of was. The adjustments showed up. The competitiveness showed up. It looked more like a real game. The first change was obvious. Pace. Phoenix pushed it. That matters against the Oklahoma City Thunder, because …

One of the best value contracts on the Warriors last season was De’Anthony Melton, who averaged 12.3 points and 1.6 steals in 49 games, for just under $3.1M. After proving he’d recovered nicely from his ACL tear early in the 2024-25 season, a Warriors insider suggested that Melton will have teams planning to offer him more than a one-year minimum …