NBA News

The Chicago Bulls have begun their search for a new president of basketball operations with a preliminary list of candidates that the team has requested to interview, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The six candidates the Bulls have received permission to interview are Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd, Detroit Pistons senior VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey, Atlanta Hawks senior …

The Toronto Raptors (46-37) and Cleveland Cavaliers (53-30) run it back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs first round. Cleveland won Game 1, 126-113, behind 32 points from Donovan Mitchell, a 22-point and 10 assist double-double from James Harden, plus 24 points off the bench for Max Strus. The Cavaliers as a team shot 54% from the field …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to an easy win in the series opener with the Toronto Raptors, and I’ve seen livelier dinosaurs in a museum exhibit. Advertisement Will Game 2 be more competitive? I have a same-game parlay for tonight’s matchup between Cleveland and …

As the top-seeded Detroit Pistons walked off the floor as Game 1 losers, dropping their playoff opener to the Orlando Magic 112-101, a fear that’s been present for most of the season reared its head again. These Pistons, while enormously talented and the proud owners of a 60-win season, have lingering issues that could turn their dream season into a …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. FanDuel is giving its customers the option to protect against injury-induced losses throughout NBA playoff games. Advertisement Bet Protect+ is a new optional feature that will either give customers refunds for straight bets or remove parlay legs if a player leaves the game …

1. Playoff Jayson Tatum Is Back The last time Jayson Tatum played in the playoffs was May 12th 2025. He dropped 42 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists before he suffered what is known as one of the worst injuries a basketball player could sustain in a Torn Achilles. It was only 342 days later where Tatum was back playing …

In Sunday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics crushed the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-91. Jared McCain and the OKC Thunder took care of the Suns, 119-84. Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic shocked the Detroit Pistons, 112-101. Finally, Mason Plumlee and the San Antonio Spurs hammered the Portland Trail Blazers, 111-98. Tatum nearly pulled off a triple-double, with …

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder began their title defense with a 119-84 rout of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday. The reigning league MVP made just 5 of 18 field goals but went 15 of 17 at the foul line before sitting …

The San Antonio Spurs returned to the playoffs with a splash Sunday night, debuting a colorful, well-coordinated set of playoff shirts for their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rather than opt for one shirt for the whole arena during the team’s 111-98 win, the Spurs decided to get creative, painting the crowd in brightly colored shirts in alternating …

DETROIT — Paolo Banchero had 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic to a 112-101 win over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, extending the longest home playoff losing streak in NBA history. Detroit has dropped 11 straight home games in the postseason, a drought that …

Mark Pope has openly joked about the group chat he shares with his 1996 national championship teammates, claiming they keep him grounded. But according to former Kentucky star Derek Anderson, that chat is a lot more intense than Pope has let on. During a recent appearance on KSR, Anderson pulled back the curtain on the ongoing conversations between the guys …

It was as if a switch had flipped coming out of halftime in Game 1, as the Knicks neutralized a Hawks strategy that was hurting them more than anything else. Most on-ball screens involve a smaller ball handler and bigger center or forward to try to create an opening or force a switch and create a mismatch. But the Hawks …

Victor Wembanyama put up the highest individual scoring total in the playoffs by a Spur all time tonight, and San Antonio alternated between moments of sheer glory and pangs of growing pains in a game 1 win over Portland 111-98. San Antonio took advantage of the Blazers’ errant shooting outside of Deni Avdija’s laborious efforts to jump ahead by as …

BOSTON — With the first quarter clock winding down, Jordan Walsh sprinted as fast as he could down the court. In perfect harmony, Jayson Tatum found him for a transition layup to beat the buzzer, and the Celtics extended their lead over the Philadelphia 76ers to 15 in the opening game of the playoffs. In the grand scheme of things …

LeBron James must be so sick of this. If he wanted to experience being the best player on an otherwise thin team, he could simply remember the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the NBA finals in 2007. Or the 2015 NBA finals when his best teammates, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, suffered injuries. Or the 2018 season, which convinced SNL to …

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks took the high road and opted against adding more fuel to the fire. Given a chance to react to CJ McCollum’s accusation that Brunson faked an injury in order to get him a technical foul, Brunson was tight-lipped. Advertisement “I have no reaction,” Brunson said after practice Sunday. “No comment.” During the second quarter of …

If the lights felt brighter in San Antonio on Sunday night, it’s because they were. For the first time since 2019, playoff basketball returned to the Frost Bank Center, and the San Antonio Spurs didn’t just show up. They made a statement. Behind a historic night from Victor Wembanyama and his supporting cast, the Spurs pulled away from the Portland Trail Blazers for a …

In his lone season at the University of Alabama, Noah Clowney shot 28.3% from deep on 7.2 attempts per 100 possessions. Through three NBA seasons (135 appearances), Clowney is shooting 33.2% on 10.7 3-pointers per 100 possessions. In 2025-26, Clowney played more NBA minutes than in his first two seasons combined, shooting 32.9% from deep on just under 11 attempts …

Despite being ruled eligible for the award through the Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge, Luka Dončić was not named a finalist on Sunday for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award. The three finalists for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama. While we’ll get to SGA and Jokić, the most legitimate complaint is Wemby’s inclusion over Luka. While Wemby is a generational …

The most elite defenders of the NBA’s 2025-26 season include San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson, and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren. Holmgren is coming off an NBA All-Star appearance for the first time in his young career. He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship, becoming the fourth Zag to win an …

Victor Wembanyama starred on his NBA play-off debut as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98. Wembanyama, one of three contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, scored a game-high 35 points, including 21 in the first half, as the Spurs won game one of the best-of-seven series. Advertisement “It’s good to get this one out of …

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — It has proven almost as difficult to rattle Victor Wembanyama as it is to get a shot off against San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 star. Still, if there was ever a time to experience some nerves it was Sunday. Wembanyama was making his playoff debut against Portland for a franchise and city that is longing for postseason success …

Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT LINE: Rockets -4.5; over/under is 205.5 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 1-0 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in …

SAN ANTONIO — As Victor Wembanyama ducked under the awning and triumphantly emerged from the tunnel for his pregame warmup ahead of his playoff debut — an entrance that would make Shawn MIchaels proud — the warm embrace of Frost Bank Center became a stage for the arts. At the same time that a sea of proud onlookers whipped out …

After an extended voting window for NBA awards, we are finally getting to the actual announcements. The NBA named finalists for all major awards during Pistons-Magic coverage. Unsurprisingly, the Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe was named a finalist for the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award, alongside Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel and Dallas’ Cooper Flagg. For most seasons, VJ Edgecombe’s 2025-26 campaign …