NBA News

The series is tied 2-2 after the Knicks won Game 4, 114-98, and the series, like the momentum, shifts back to New York. The Knicks have the chance to go up 3-2 with a win on its home court. New York held Atlanta to 24% from three (10/41) and shot 45% from deep themselves (14/31). The Knicks had three different …

Joel Embiid made his return to the 76ers fewer than three weeks after an emergency surgery, but it wasn’t enough as Philadelphia fell 128-96 at home. Boston is up 3-1 in the series and has the chance to close out Philadelphia at home in five games tonight. Game 4’s loss for the 76ers was the third time in the series …

Austin Reaves is “optimistic” that he’ll be able to return to the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup for Game 5 of their first-round series in the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The 27-year-old Reaves was one of L.A.’s leading offensive lights during the regular season, averaging a career-high 23.3 points, 5.5 assists …

Nobody wants to be swept in the first round. The exit was far too soon, but the Suns exceeded all expectations, winning 45 games without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Jordan Ott built one of the most improved defenses in the league and got the most out of a roster few believed in. Losing to the league’s best team and …

The Philadelphia 76ers’ 2025-26 season could be approaching its swan song, with the Boston Celtics just one win away from closing out the first-round playoff series and eliminating the Sixers. Though, to be fair, I think “swan songs” are supposed to be beautiful or brilliant. This feels quite far from that. Advertisement The Sixers trail the Celtics 3-1 in the …

When the Celtics drilled an absurd 24 of their 53 3-point attempts during a blowout Game 4 win in Xfinity Mobile Arena Sunday night, I half expected the Twitter discourse to regain its steam. The Celtics are 3-point merchants! The Celtics don’t play fun basketball!  Advertisement Wrong, and wrong. On a night where Boston set a franchise playoff record for …

There’s a great event coming up that you’ll want to put on your calendar. An Evening with the Spurs: Coyote Tales & Court Stories with Sean Elliott, Bill Schoening & Rob Wicall. Spurs fans know Sean Elliott as the “Memorial Day Miracle” and as the longtime color commentator for Spurs broadcasts. Elliot was drafted third overall in 1989. Paired with …

Attention to detail is one of Boston’s most overlooked strengths. There are plenty to choose from — volume three-point shooting, defensive connectivity, late-game composure. But it’s the precision and thoroughness of the minutiae that often sets them apart. Advertisement Their preparation allows them to identify pressure points quickly, and then push on them until something breaks. Their latest win over …

The 2026 NBA Draft class has been hyped for years. The big pay off is finally coming on May 10 with the drawing of the draft lottery, and now the odds for the ping-pong balls have been finalized. The Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and Indiana Pacers earned the top odds with a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 overall …

ORLANDO, Fla. — Desmond Bane scored 22 points, Franz Wagner had 19 in three quarters and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 94-88 Monday night to take a 3-1 series lead, putting the East’s No. 1 seed on the brink of elimination. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Detroit. Advertisement Orlando, which had to win an elimination game at …

Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets aren’t done just yet. The Nuggets picked up a commanding 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series on Monday night to keep their postseason hopes alive. Jokić had his 23rd career triple-double, which is the third-most all time behind only Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Advertisement While …

The first-round series between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder is finally over. Oklahoma City is a machine that barely broke a sweat to take care of business against one of the better “feel-good” stories of the year in the Suns. The Suns fought hard and shot the ball well, but their defense and inability to rebound and …

According to Michael Pina, the Utah Jazz would be one of many teams that would have a varying degree of interest in Kevin Durant if he becomes available. From Pina’s article: The Rockets thought that KD was their missing piece, and instead, there’s a chance they’ll turn him into a stepping stone this summer. It turns out that your best player …

The NBA Draft class of 2026 appears to be absolutely nothing like the 2024 draft class, and for that, we give thanks to the basketball gods. Tangible star power that bleeds beyond the top pick has forced nearly a third of the good citizens of the league to sabotage this year’s crop for the prospects of a more plentiful harvest …

Eighty-one seconds into the fourth quarter of Game 4, Jayson Tatum dribbled passed midcourt and with the help of a Neemias Queta screen, walked into a three-pointer. Kelly Oubre walked into his landing space for an and-1. With that, the lead ballooned to 30 points and statistically, it was proof positive of Boston’s priorities this season: limiting turnovers, attacking the …

One of the biggest reasons people didn’t believe in the Celtics coming into the season was because of their centers and how little they had proven entering the season. As the season went on, it became clear that Neemias Queta is a quality starting center and that Luka Garza and trade deadline addition Nikola Vucevic were good enough depth. However, …

The vibes weren’t great when the Spurs last left San Antonio. With the series tied 1-1 and Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol, things looked bleak for the Silver and Black. Now, heading back home, the Spurs find themselves up 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, with Wembanyama fully healthy. San Antonio is coming off two …

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Orlando Magic are one win away from knocking off a No. 1 seed and winning their first playoff series in 16 years. They’re not celebrating yet. Desmond Bane scored 22 points, Franz Wagner had 19 in three quarters and the Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 94-88 Monday night to take a 3-1 series lead, putting …

The question of this game was bound to come down to one thing and one thing only: could the Minnesota Timberwolves survive the loss of not just their starting point guard but also the superstar leader of their team? The answer: a resounding no. Unfortunately for Wolves fans, it got even worse. There are now even more questions that have …

Nikola Jokic scored a triple-double to keep the Denver Nuggets’ play-off hopes alive with a 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Serbia’s Jokic, 31, was the joint top scorer with 27 points but also chipped in with 12 rebounds and 16 assists. Advertisement The Nuggets trailed 3-1 as they welcomed Minnesota to Ball Arena, Colorado, and defeat would have seen …

DENVER (AP) — Jaden McDaniels got more pushback from the Denver Nuggets and their fans as he heard constant boos from the crowd all evening. All it did was embolden McDaniels, the antagonistic Minnesota Timberwolves forward who’s worked his way under the skin of Nuggets Nation through his words and his actions. Advertisement Following a 125-113 loss to Nikola Jokic …

PHOENIX (AP) — Oklahoma City’s first-round dominance in the NBA playoffs continues. The road should get at least a little tougher in the coming weeks — but there’s little doubt the defending champions are well-equipped to defend their title. Advertisement The Thunder finished off a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, winning 131-122 after pulling away in …

DENVER — With the season on the line, Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman said pregame that Game 5 Monday night would be “all hands on deck.” It wasn’t a smokescreen. Playing down a man thanks to Aaron Gordon’s ailing calf, the Nuggets looked early and often to players whose previous roles in this series have varied from inconsistent to …

Through the first four games of this series, Rudy Gobert was the best player on the floor. Not for his stats — 8.3 points per game is not exactly world beating — but for his defense on Nikola Jokic. Left on an island, Gobert was making the three-time MVP work for every inch of ground, every shot, which allowed Jaden …

Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT LINE: Lakers -2.5; over/under is 208.5 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 3-1 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers look to clinch the Western Conference first round over the Houston Rockets in game five. …