NBA News

Franz Wagner will miss his second straight game for the Orlando Magic in their NBA playoff series versus the Detroit Pistons. Wagner has been ruled out for Friday’s Game 6 with a calf strain that also sidelined him in Game 5’s 116-109 loss in Detroit, according to the NBA’s injury report. The Magic have a 3-2 series lead in their …

One of the most exciting moments for a basketball franchise is if they learn they have won the NBA draft lottery, especially when it’s unexpected. Lottery odds formatting have changed several times since the system began in 1985 when the New York Knicks selected Patrick Ewing. In the future, the format might change again to help prevent tanking from league …

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers regained momentum in the series after gutting out a 125-120 victory in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Raptors. The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are in comparison to other playoff games, which influences the sample size. Offensive Rating Effective …

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Taylor Jenkins was officially announced as the Milwaukee Bucks coach on Thursday, as the former Memphis Grizzlies coach takes over a team coming off a 50-loss season that snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances. The Bucks said Jenkins will have an introductory news conference Wednesday at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Advertisement “Taylor’s attention to detail, …

The Cleveland Cavaliers have pushed the Toronto Raptors to the brink of elimination with a 125-120 victory in Game 5. The Raptors have persevered through numerous obstacles already this series, including having to play without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley. Their road to stealing the series just became more difficult. Toronto could be without its leading scorer from the regular …

The specific shape of the first-round playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets has changed quite a bit from how we initially expected it to look, for a number of reasons — chief among them, Kevin Durant’s ongoing injury woes and a brutal Game 3 collapse that pushed Ime Udoka’s club to the brink of elimination. The …

LOS ANGELES — 159-0. That’s the record of NBA teams who have gone up 3-0 in a playoff series. Only four teams have even forced a Game 7. The Lakers raced out to a 3-0 series lead against a Houston Rockets team that has been without Kevin Durant for all but one game (not to mention missing other veterans Fred …

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets are brimming with confidence after avoiding elimination twice with consecutive wins to force Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in the first round of the playoffs. “We put ourselves in a bad position, but we can still make history and come back one game at a time,” Houston big man …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets and are trending the wrong way toward history in Game 6. Advertisement Oddsmakers have Los Angeles pegged as a road pup, and my same-game parlay gladly grabs the points with …

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh go over the electric first-round matchups in the NBA. The pair discuss the brewing comebacks, from LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers potentially blowing a 3-0 lead to the Houston Rockets, to the rejuvenated Philadelphia 76ers winning against the Boston Celtics in Game 5. Advertisement They then talk about the recently eliminated Suns & Trail Blazers …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. Three teams will have the chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs in tonight’s NBA slate, with some great player props available in all three games. Advertisement My NBA predictions for tonight include seeing OG Anunoby and Payton Pritchard helping …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Philadelphia 76ers did well to win Game 5 on the road and now return home with a chance to force Game 7 against the Boston Celtics. Advertisement There are several players worth targeting in our NBA player prop projections and NBA picks …

After falling behind 3-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets have some life again – winning Game 4 and Game 5 to bring the series back to Texas for a Game 6. Arguably the most bizarre part of all of this is that the Rockets’ have managed this without their leading scorer and best player, Kevin Durant. Advertisement …

When the NBA playoffs began earlier this month, 19-year-old Zinzy was disappointed that the Memphis Grizzlies, his favorite team, weren’t in the mix. The Grizzlies were fresh off a 25-game, rebuilding season and were on the outside looking in for the first time in years. Advertisement So, he had a goofy idea — what if he jokingly live-tweeted a fake …

Former Kentucky basketball star and five-time NBA All-Star John Wall has been named president of basketball operations at Howard University, returning to Washington, D.C., in a major leadership role, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Howard officials confirmed the partnership, which positions Wall at the helm of one of the nation’s top HBCU basketball programs. Wall, the No. 1 overall pick …

NEW YORK (AP) — Moussa Diabaté of the Charlotte Hornets was announced Thursday as the NBA’s Hustle Award winner for this season. Unlike most of the year’s awards, this one was not done by voting. The NBA uses a ranking system that takes nine stats into account — offensive box outs, defensive box outs, screen assists, contested 2-pointers, contested 3-pointers, …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ ticket to Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs awaits north of the border when they visit the Toronto Raptors in Game 6. Advertisement Cleveland’s inside-out scoring is becoming too much for Toronto, which limps into Friday with serious injuries in …

Kevin Durant was on the sideline in street clothes on Wednesday night, watching his Houston Rockets teammates take care of the ball in the clutch and hold off the Lakers, to pick up their second win in a row and make this a 3-2 series, one where there is begining to be a legitimate question about whether the Rockets could …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Houston Rockets have about a one-third chance to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit. Advertisement The Rockets won consecutive games without Kevin Durant in the lineup and are -3.5 favorites on their home floor …

The 2026 NBA Playoffs continues with a thrilling night of action on Thursday, including the Denver Nuggets battling to stave off elimination against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota currently leads the series 3-2 and is just one win away from clinching the Western Conference first-round matchup. Now, the Timberwolves’ hope to advance without their star guard, Anthony Edwards. Advertisement Edwards sustained …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. We’re in for a tight matchup as the New York Knicks look to eliminate the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6. Our NBA player prop projections have you covered with six players to add to your NBA picks slip on April 30. Advertisement Once …

The Milwaukee Bucks never really had any intention of trading Giannis Antetokounmpo at the NBA’s trade deadline in February, if only because so many of his suitors could sweeten their offers with more draft picks come the offseason. Not only that, but the playoffs have a way of exposing teams for who they are, revealing the emperor’s clothes, showing exactly …

New York Knicks forward Josh Hart is listed as questionable for Game 6 of the team’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night with a lower back contusion. Hart played 30 minutes in New York’s dominant Game 5 win, scoring 9 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. But after subbing out with 6:27 to go in the …

Still trailing in the series and facing a Game 6 in Minneapolis, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets appear to actually be in the driver’s seat against the Timberwolves. Its only been one game since Minnesota lost their starting backcourt of Anthony Edwards (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles), and as a result the Timberwolves are still trying to find their …

The transfer portal has changed college basketball, look no further than Michigan’s remade roster that led the Wolverines to the national championship this April. But high school recruiting still remains important. Don’t believe us? Look at the 2026 NBA Draft. Nine of the top 10 projected picks in this year’s draft were in the 2025 recruiting class. Advertisement Tyran Stokes, …