NBA News

They met two days prior to Sunday night’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena, a two-game set between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies reminiscent of a playoff series. The Lakers won the first game Friday night and knew the Grizzlies were going to bring more intensity and a stronger effort even with star guard Ja Morant (right calf contusion) not playing. Advertisement …

Jimmy Butler gets ‘brutally honest’ with heartfelt Buddy Hield description originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area One thing you always can count on is Jimmy Butler keeping it real — no matter the cost. Advertisement The always honest Warriors star was asked how Buddy Hield continues to bring good vibes to the team despite not playing consistent minutes on …

In November, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown collided with Derrick Jones Jr. and left the Clippers wing with a Grade 2 sprain of his right MCL, which ended up costing him 17 games. Saturday night, four games after Jones’ return, the Celtics’ Payton Pritchard collided with Jones’ same right knee going for a loose ball, causing an injury that forced Jones …

The Knicks had another abysmal defensive performance on Saturday. They allowed the Sixers to hit 47 percent of their three-point shots (36 three-point FGAs). They put up little resistance against Philadelphia’s starters. The trio of VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid combined for 88 points on 62 percent shooting (53 FGAs). Advertisement It was another game in a growing …

Draymond Green was unhappy with a non-call Saturday. Thirty seconds later, he was out of the game. The Golden State Warriors star was ejected from a game against the Utah Jazz in the second quarter, when he took issue with the officials not calling three seconds on Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski. He was so incensed he walked out of …

The Houston Rockets got 64 seconds from Alperen Şengün on Saturday. They can only hope they don’t get even less in their next several games. The All-Star center exited Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after rolling his right ankle while rebounding, roughly one minute into the first quarter. He soon limped to the bench then left for the locker …

The East leading Detroit Pistons will be without two key starters for at least the next week. Center Jalen Duren, who is playing at an All-Star level this season, has suffered a right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in one week, the team announced. Duren has taken a big step forward this season, averaging 17.9 points per game on …

Victor Wembanyama will miss his second straight game after suffering a hyperextended left knee against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The San Antonio Spurs star didn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis for Friday’s 123-113 win over the Indianapolis Pacers. He was reportedly expected to be questionable for Saturday night’s home meeting with the Portland Trail Blazers, but …

After missing five games due to a sprained ankle, Clippers center Ivica Zubac is off the injury report and is expected to return Saturday night when Boston comes to Los Angeles. Zubac limped off the court during the Clippers’ game on Dec. 20 against the Lakers with what turned out to be a Grade 2 sprained ankle. Zubac is averaging …

Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud leaves game vs. Suns with apparent knee injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Kings had to deal with injury on top of insult in their 129-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center, when rookie Maxime Raynaud went down and had to be helped to the locker room in …

The Knicks have now learned the hard way that both superb and pitiful shooting displays from three-point range can be found in losing streaks. Just two days after draining a monstrous 22 threes in a New Year’s Eve road loss to the Spurs, the Knicks posed no threat from beyond the arc on Friday, missing a ghastly 33 of 42 …

Ex-Grizzlie De’Anthony Melton says Warriors had no business winning 2022 title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SAN FRANCISCO – As an opponent in May 2022, De’Anthony Melton had a microscopic view of the Warriors’ last championship team. Now that he is on their payroll, he’s comfortable going public with what many have whispered for 3.5 years. Advertisement “In …

Happy New Year from The Dunker Spot! Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones dissect two of the most interesting teams in the league to this point: the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers. How good are they/ What are the growth areas? How seriously should we take them come playoff time? Advertisement Then, the guys discuss the breakout campaign Jaylen Brown is …

Welcome to the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team’s updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I’ll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our …

How Garza’s resurgence is bolstering Celtics’ bench in several ways originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston Maybe the most surprising recent storyline as the Boston Celtics flip the calendar to 2026: The Luka Garza resurgence. Advertisement There was a point in mid-December where it felt like Garza might stay glued to the Boston bench. The team had struggled so mightily …

Victor Wembanyama will not be on the court Friday night against Indiana, but, in very good news for the Spurs, he will not be out long. The MRI on Wembanyama’s hyperextended knee came back clean and he is now day-to-day, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The report said he will be questionable for the second half of a back-to-back …

Since the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season on Dec. 15, much of the discussion surrounding which players might be on the move has focused on perennial All-Star and All-NBA-caliber performers with marquee names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Ja Morant, et al. But with the Feb. 5 trade deadline now just over a month away, it seems …

Observations after Maxey nearly posts triple-double in Sixers’ win over Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia Tyrese Maxey was just two rebounds shy of his second career triple-double Thursday night in Dallas. Advertisement He led the Sixers to a 123-108 victory at American Airlines Center by tallying 34 points, 10 assists, eight rebeounds and two steals. The Sixers improved …

Depth has not been the Knicks’ calling card over the past few years. But over the past month, it’s become more common to expect head coach Mike Brown to go to a 10-man rotation. In New York’s last two games against the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans, 11 Knicks have played in close games. Not much was expected …

Maybe 2026 will be kinder to Denver on the injury front, because the end of 2025 was brutal. Including on the last day of the year. Already down four starters — including MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic — the Nuggets had his replacement at the five, Jonas Valanciunas, leave Wednesday’s game in Toronto with what the team called a calf strain. …

Happy New Year! As we wave goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026, fantasy basketball managers are making resolutions for the new year. Unfortunately, there’s no way you can go back and draft Nikola Jokić (though the Nuggets big man is out at least a month due to a knee injury). But you can make plans to be the best …

Big picture, the NBA is in a really good place. We’re seeing record-setting attendance. Viewership is up significantly year-over-year. The league just struck a $76 billion media deal. Franchise values are higher than ever. But it’s not perfect. To steal the HoopIdea motto from my pals Royce Webb and Henry Abbott: Basketball is the best game ever. Now let’s make …

Damian Lillard is out for this season, recovering from a torn Achilles. Don’t forget about him. The seven-time All-NBA guard is working hard on his recovery and mentoring a young Portland Trail Blazers team showing promise. Lillard recently joined Allie Clifton for an episode of the Road Trippin’ Show and said this about his rehab so far (hat tip to …

2025 was filled with seismic NBA stories, many of which will play out into 2026 and beyond. True game-changers in the literal and figurative sense. On New Year’s Eve, let’s take a look back at the 10 biggest NBA stories of 2025. Advertisement 1. Luka Doncic trade On Feb. 1, we all thought Shams Charania had been hacked. No way …

Before the Los Angeles Lakers’ 22-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, head coach JJ Redick knew exactly how things would play out. Prior to the contest, Redick warned that, “[The Pistons are] going to foul on every possession, probably three or four times.” After the contest — a 128-106 loss for the Lakers — Redick said his pre-game …