NBA News

The Cleveland Cavaliers missed an opportunity to steal Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers. LOSER – Turnovers Cleveland turned it over 20 times tonight, allowing 31 points off those turnovers. That might be the fastest way to guarantee yourself a loss on the road. Advertisement The ball was especially slippery for James Harden …

Lakers coach JJ Redick was succinct about what it was like for his group to face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder during the regular season. “We sucked against this team,” he said pregame. Advertisement The Lakers lost all four regular-season games against the Thunder by double figures, making L.A.’s 108-90 defeat to Oklahoma City in Game 1 of …

The Los Angeles Lakers lost forward Jarred Vanderbilt early to a gruesome finger injury on Tuesday night. Vanderbilt went up to try to block Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren at the rim in the Lakers’ Game 1 loss, but he missed and ended up smacking his right hand hard against the backboard at the Paycom Center. As Holmgren went …

OKLAHOMA CITY — Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points for the Thunder. The defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen …

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris had 20 and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series. Duncan Robinson added 19 points for the top-seeded Pistons, who ended an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent, a drought that dated to the 2007 …

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren delivered for the Detroit Pistons when they needed him most, making plays at both ends of the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Duren had three dunks, two rebounds and a block in a 67-second stretch to break open a tie game and Detroit went on to beat Cleveland 111-101 on Tuesday night in Game 1 …

The injury luck for the Los Angeles Lakers, somehow, just got worse. Backup forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a right hand injury on Tuesday, May 5 during the second quarter of Los Angeles’ conference semifinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement The injury took place with 5:51 left in the first half, when Vanderbilt’s fingers swiped against the left side …

The Cleveland Cavaliers erased an 18-point deficit to tie the Detroit Pistons midway through the fourth, but an inability to get stops and scores when they needed them wound up in Detroit escaping with a 111-101 Game 1 victory. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents that player performing to our expectations …

DETROIT — Cade Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris had 20 and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series. Duncan Robinson added 19 points for the top-seeded Pistons, who ended an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent, a drought that dated to the 2007 Eastern …

Turns out smack-talking officials on Twitch comes with a cost. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown learned this the hard way. The NBA announced Tuesday, May 5 that Brown has been fined $50,000 for comments he made during a Twitch livestream Sunday, May 3, one day after the Celtics fell in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. …

The Detroit Pistons sprinted out of the gates of Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night. From there, they held on against a Cleveland team that found its rhythm on offense, but ultimately made too many mistakes in a 111-101 Pistons win. Advertisement With the win, Detroit secured its fourth-straight postseason victory to take a 1-0 lead in the …

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown $50,000 for public criticism of game officials following Boston’s first-round exit from the playoffs. The fine was announced by NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations James Jones on Tuesday night, two days after Brown said in a livestream he hosts that game officials “clearly had …

The back half of the NBA conference semifinals tipped off with another pair of series openers. In the first game Tuesday, May 5, the No. 1 Detroit Pistons hosted the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers, while the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder continued their championship defense at home against the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers. Advertisement The interesting thing to note …

NEW YORK — To hear Nick Nurse tell it, it all came back to those high ball screens. Time and again in his postgame remarks after a tip-to-tail annihilation to tip off the 2026 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers head coach pointed to a string of defensive possessions early in Game 1 on which it seemed his team had …

Not everyone was over the moon that Victor Wembanyama broke the NBA playoff record for most blocks in a game during Game 1 of the conference semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, May 4. The 2026 Defensive Player of the Year finished with 12 blocks on the night, passing the previous mark by two. He also …

DALLAS (AP) — Masai Ujiri hadn’t even taken a question from reporters as team president and alternate governor of the Dallas Mavericks when he tacitly acknowledged the chaotic 15 months that have enveloped the franchise. “Listen, I hope to bring calm,” Ujiri said Tuesday in opening remarks at his introductory news conference just a few moments after trying to soothe …

It is all pretty simple, really. Mike Brown is only the Knicks’ head coach because not even back-to-back 50-win regular seasons were enough to save his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, from being fired after New York stumbled in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. Advertisement The implied word from on-high for all to see that even though Thibodeau posted a .565 …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Minnesota Timberwolves found an offensive approach that worked in the fourth quarter of Game 1, gashing the San Antonio Spurs’ defense with Rudy Gobert on the bench. Advertisement This Timberwolves vs. Spurs same-game parlay expects Minnesota to double-down on that approach in …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Minnesota Timberwolves did not blink when Victor Wembanyama blocked shot after shot in Game 1. They proceeded to upset the San Antonio Spurs thanks to an offensive outburst in the fourth quarter. Advertisement My Timberwolves vs. Spurs predictions and these NBA picks …

If an NBA season was a theme park, the Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 would be its roller coaster. As they entered the season, some pundits — myself included — wondered aloud if it’d be better to tank in hopes of securing a high draft pick for next season, when presumably Jayson Tatum would be back from an Achilles tear. Advertisement (We’ll …

Dallas landing Masai Ujiri to take over basketball operations is seen by many as a coup. One of the most respected front office minds in the league, the man who built the Toronto Raptors into champions, comes to a Mavericks team in the midst of a self-inflicted rebuild (including rebuilding its reputation with its fans) after Nico Harrison made the …

The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is on Mother’s Day this year, with every team that didn’t make the playoffs seeking the gift of the right ping-pong ball combination on Sunday, May 10. A whole batch of franchises tanked this past season just to have a better shot at securing the best choice possible in what’s considered a strong draft class. …

The Kentucky Wildcats are nearing completion of their 2026-2027 basketball roster, with just a couple more spots to fill. Kentucky native Malachi Moreno was expected back on the team after he tested the NBA Draft waters. However, some recent draft rankings and projections have left some wondering if he could actually stay in this year’s draft. Advertisement The Georgetown (KY) …

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse was away from the team Tuesday ahead of Game 2 of its second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks to attend the funeral of his brother. Nurse’s brother Steve Nurse, 62, died unexpectedly last Wednesday. Nick Nurse left the team following Philadelphia’s 137-98 loss to open the second round against …

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse stepped away from the team Tuesday, May 5 so he could attend the funeral of his older brother. The 76ers coach flew home to Iowa after the loss against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA conference semifinals following the death of his older brother, Steve Nurse, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. …