NBA News

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy wasn’t entirely sure he would be able to play in The Players Championship because of muscle spasms in his lower back that forced him to withdraw last Saturday at Bay Hill. Now he’s thankful to be playing two more days at the TPC Sawgrass. But it took a lot more work than …

The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028 in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer. The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s …

Almost three hours later, the play was fresh in coach JJ Redick’s mind. How the Lakers started their win over the Chicago Bulls felt like the blueprint for success. The Lakers ran a movement set on the opening play Thursday, and using a screen from Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic found LeBron James in the corner. Ayton rolled toward the basket. …

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Spieth was coming off four straight birdies Friday at The Players Championship when he turned to thousands of fans along for the ride and asked them a question that summed up why he rarely lacks for entertainment. “Did anyone see where that went?” he said. Advertisement His hard draw turned into a hook …

The Milwaukee Bucks are six games out of the final play-in spot in the East with 17 games to go, and they are chasing some of the league’s hottest teams in Charlotte and Atlanta. Milwaukee’s loss to Miami on Thursday was its seventh loss in eight games, and they are 1-4 since Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup. The Bucks …

Jeff Capel will not see his name added to the growing list of Division I men’s college basketball coaches to be fired after the 2025-26 season. In a letter addressed to “Panther Nation,” Pitt athletic director Allen Green announced that Capel will return for the 2026-27 season, his ninth season leading the Panthers. Capel had been one of several coaches …

It’s official: The Big 12 is gatekeeping hardwood floors. With No. 1 Arizona primed to take on No. 5 Iowa State and No. 2 Houston gearing up for No. 3 Kansas in the conference tournament semifinals, Brett Yormark and the conference are scrapping the controversial LED surface the first rounds of the men’s tournament and the entire women’s tournament was …

For college basketball fans and scouts, one of the most exciting days of the year is Selection Sunday. That is when everyone gets to discover the road to winning the men’s NCAA Tournament. This is when everyone discovers the path all prospects will take before potentially ending their collegiate tenure and beginning the pre-draft process. Advertisement Of course, many players …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. Desperation defines this evening’s clash at Chase Center as a pair of Western Conference fixtures fight to snap identical three-game skids. The Warriors must navigate life without Stephen Curry against a Minnesota squad hungry to protect a Top 6 seed in danger of …

Newly signed Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job in Atlanta, where Michael Penix Jr. is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in November, general manager Ian Cunningham said Friday. “For Tua coming in here, he knows he’s coming in to compete, just like Michael knows he’s coming in to compete. Quite …

Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward. Last week: Expect Jayson to be Jayson Tatum again this season Fact or Fiction: The NBA will have another 100-point scorer We are here …

The first major-conference job to come open on this year’s men’s college basketball coaching carousel has officially been filled. Kansas State has hired Belmont’s Casey Alexander to be its next head coach, the university announced March 13. Advertisement Alexander has signed a five-year contract, which will pay him $3.3 million during the 2026-27 season before he receives a $50,000 base …

Bam Adebayo’s historic and wildly entertaining 83-point outburst has faced backlash online and from some in the media. Because of course it did. This is the world we live in, where backlash to anything and everything — often just to draw attention — has become a dominant force of American politics and culture. As if Kobe Bryant’s legacy needs random …

In head-to-head leagues, it all comes down to the weekend. You can have a comfortable lead in multiple categories or by a bunch of points, but if you don’t make the most of the weekend, you can walk out with a loss. 14 teams play twice this weekend, including the Cavaliers, Mavericks, Pistons, Warriors, Pacers, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Knicks, 76ers, …

Scotty Pippen Jr. is set to undergo a sesamoidectomy surgery to relieve the pain in his right big toe, with the hope of returning healthy next season. The Memphis Grizzlies announced the surgery, which will sideline him for the rest of this season, reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype. Each foot has two sesamoid bones that “act like pulleys inside the …

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players’ union were back negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement Friday for the fourth straight day, hours after a 16-hour marathon session ended. The two sides have spent nearly 40 hours discussing a new CBA since first getting together in-person Tuesday — the day the league had said there would need …

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown expressed frustration during his first comments since Tuesday’s ejection while playing the San Antonio Spurs. Following a tight loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Brown bemoaned players who try and “foul bait” to try and manipulate officials and get to the free-throw line. [Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB …

The Knicks (42*-25) conclude a five-game road trip tonight against the 15-50 Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Currently, their four-game season series stands tied at one win apiece. The Knicks, coming off a shaky victory in Utah, have won six of their last ten games; Indy lost to the Suns last night and have dropped 11 straight. These teams last …

There are some games where it feels like everything clicks. The vision meets reality. The idea you had in your head finally shows up on the floor. Yes, it came against Indiana. Yes, they have the worst record in the NBA. That is part of the equation, and it should be acknowledged. I still love what the equation produced. Book …

DRAMMEN, Norway (AP) — Norwegian cross-country skiing star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo said Friday he sustained a concussion from a fall in a World Cup race a day earlier but that he was “all good in the hood.” Klaebo, one of the stars of the recent Milan Cortina Games, said he would “take some days off” to recover after his crash …

PHOENIX (AP) — San Francisco Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge was logged at 6-foot-7 “and some change,” he said. That was the measurement for the slugger for the major leagues’ Automated Ball-Strike System. That is one expansive strike zone — but a more defined one, at least. Advertisement “I think they told me I’m the tallest guy they’ve measured, position player-wise,” …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks open the first game of a home-and-home set this weekend. James Harden is fresh off his best game in a Cavs uniform, and I’ll explain why he’s due for another big night in my Cavaliers vs. Mavericks …

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Sam Kerr scored one goal and created another as Australia advanced to the Women’s Asian Cup semifinals and secured a World Cup spot with a 2-1 win Friday over North Korea. The three-time champion North Koreans had almost two-thirds of possession and played at a high tempo to keep the Australians unsettled, but weren’t able to …

The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to show resiliency on and off the court, extending their winning streak to four straight games. The Lakers are third in the Western Conference with a 41-25 record, trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Advertisement Coach JJ Redick credited the team for beginning to understand the importance of playing united during …

Wilt” at an NBA basketball game” type=”image/jpg”/> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander etched himself into the history books Thursday night. After surpassing the 20-point mark during the Thunder’s 104-102 win over the Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Hall of Fame big man Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive games (127) with at least 20 points scored. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a team-high 35 points, broke …