NBA News

The ABA and the NBA merged in 1976, and one of the big reasons was Julius Erving. The ABA never really had any national television exposure, but everyone knew who Dr. J was. The afro, the kneepads, the dunks…everyone understood that he was a phenomenon, and that, once the 1976-77 season started, fans would get to see a lot of …

On the heels of a grueling Game 3 win, the Lakers came out flat and were subsequently routed by the Rockets, 115-96. From the jump, it was pretty clear the Lakers didn’t have the right level of effort and played as such throughout. LA turned the ball over a staggering 23 times with the Rockets tallying 17 steals and 30 …

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t get the reputation of being playoff failures overnight. They’ve earned it through years of falling short in the biggest moments. Although their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors isn’t over by any stretch, Game 4 showed all the telltale signs of what has plagued this team in previous postseason runs: lack of toughness, poor rebounding, the …

HOUSTON — One team played like its season was on the line. The other team was the Lakers, who were on the losing end of Sunday’s Game 4 at Toyota Center for their first loss of their first round playoff series against the Rockets. Advertisement After falling behind in the series by three games, the Kevin Durant-less Rockets were the …

Victor Wembanyama was “very unhappy” with how the NBA handled his concussion protocol during the Spurs series against the Trail Blazers, which forced him to miss Game 3, and saying that the way the situation “was handled was very disappointing.” The Spurs took a 3-1 series lead with a 114-93 win over the Blazers on Sunday night, but was clearly …

Ejections for Flagrant 2 fouls typically are pretty egregious and easy to understand. By definition, they involve excessive force, which rarely leaves doubt about an ejection. And yet, when Deandre Ayton was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Alperen Şengün during the third quarter of Game 4, which the Lakers were already losing handily en route to defeat, literally …

You can’t fake desperation. The Rockets fought hard in Game 3, but lost and were down 3-0 entering Game 4. With their season on the line, Houston decided they’d rather head back to LA instead of clearing out their lockers as they demolished the Lakers, 115-96. The Rockets got offensive contributions from their top players with Alperen Şengün finishing with …

For the second year running, the Lakers will enter the playoffs with home court advantage. Unfortunately, the odds of this series playing out better than the last remain low. The Rockets await the Lakers this postseason, but the LA side they will meet is a much different one than the one they played during the regular season. Gone are Luka …

Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return for the San Antonio Spurs to help them to the brink of a series victory in the NBA play-offs. The France international missed game three against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering concussion in the previous match on Tuesday. Advertisement But he was cleared to play on Sunday and scored 27 points as the …

HOUSTON — In order to achieve something that had never been done before — clawing back from a 3-0 playoff deficit — Rockets head coach Ime Udoka had to attempt the impossible by calling on a few lineups that hadn’t played more than a few seconds prior to Game 4. Udoka had raved about the prospect of playing small for …

Portland Trail Blazers (42-40, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) San Antonio; Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT LINE: Spurs -12.5; over/under is 215.5 Advertisement WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Spurs lead series 3-1 BOTTOM LINE: The San Antonio Spurs look to clinch the Western Conference first round over the Portland Trail Blazers in …

Deandre Ayton has a simple explanation for his first career ejection. “We’re both sweaty guys,” the Lakers center said after his accidental elbow to the back of Alperen Sengun’s head resulted in his ejection from Sunday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Advertisement The Lakers center was assessed a flagrant foul 2 with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter of the …

Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference) New York; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT LINE: Knicks -6.5; over/under is 213.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Series tied 2-2 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Hawks visit the New York Knicks for game five of the Eastern Conference first round with the series …

Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (56-26, second in the Eastern Conference) Boston; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT LINE: Celtics -11.5; over/under is 215.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Celtics lead series 3-1 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Celtics look to clinch the Eastern Conference first round over the Philadelphia 76ers in game five. The Celtics defeated …

HOUSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was ejected in the third quarter of a Game 4 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night after receiving a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun in the face with his elbow and forearm. A foul was called after Ayton hit Sengun when he had the ball and was …

HOUSTON (AP) — Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff series Sunday night. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Advertisement The Rockets got their first win in the series after falling into an …

The Lakers still have control of this first-round series, even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series. Advertisement All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and …

HOUSTON — Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff series Sunday night. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Advertisement The Rockets got their first win in the series after falling into an 0-3 …

The Houston Rockets aren’t done just yet. The Rockets, even without Kevin Durant available, picked up a solid 115-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series. The win kept their postseason run alive after they dropped the first three games of the series. Advertisement While a 3-0 deficit is something …

With 1.3 seconds left in a decided game, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels made a layup. That was well within the rules and nobody was going to get injured, but it violated an unwritten rule in the NBA — and Nikola Jokic took exception. Jokic sprinted down court (maybe the fastest he ran all game) to get in McDaniels’ face, and there …

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Payton Pritchard made six of Boston’s 24 3-pointers and scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 assists to help the Boston Celtics spoil Joel Embiid’s return from an appendectomy and beat the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96 on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in …

April 26, 2026 Location: Toyota Center – Houston, Texas TV:NBC/Peacock Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español) Online: Prime Video Time: 8:30 PM CST Probable Starting Lineups Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun Advertisement Lakers: Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Jake Laravia, Lebron James, Deandre Ayton Austin Reaves is a game time decision …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Phoenix Suns should be satisfied with their season. After effectively resetting the franchise in the offseason, they still found their way into the playoffs… and being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder is nothing to be ashamed about. Advertisement My Thunder vs. …

Joel Embiid was back on the court for Philadelphia, returning from an appendectomy less than three weeks ago to give the 76ers a needed bump in a critical first-round game against Boston. Except there was no bump. Kind of the opposite. Advertisement Philadelphia’s other stars, like Tyrese Maxey, had to adjust to the big man in the paint and seemed …

One-time NBA MVP Joel Embiid returned to the court just 17 days after undergoing an appendectomy, but even his 26 points could not inspire the Philadelphia 76ers in a 128-96 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series. The Celtics lead the best-of-seven set, 3-1. Advertisement Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 32 points off …